Coal's Life
by zZCoalpawZz
Summary: Like wood, coal shall fuel the fire deep within and, without water to quench it, will destroy the homes of the Clans... Coal is only a kitten, but has already suffered a great deal. Now, she must join those who are her enemy, and try to survive...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! This is my first ever fan-fiction so, please be nice. I am quite young so this may not be the best story ever. This is based on Erin Hunters Warrior Cats series, so most credit will go to her. These aren't the original Clans or cats, and finally, hope you enjoy... (You don't have to read this unless you want to help create a clan...)**

 **Allegiances:**

Lightningclan:

Leader- Thunderstar: Orange tom with green eyes and dark stripes

Deputy- Berryspot: White she-cat with black spots on her face and blue eyes

Mecicine cat- Broombush: Yellow tabby with golden eyes

Warriors-

Shadowheart: Black tom with a grey splodge on his chest and yellow eyes

Branchfoot: Brown tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentice- Lilypaw: White she-cat black rings around paws with green eyes

Daisytail: Cream she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentice- Crowpaw: Black tom with blue eyes and single white paw

Pebblenose: Grey she-cat with white spot on nose with blue eyes

Sunshine: Golden tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Olivewhisker: Light brown tom with dark brown spots with green eyes

Apprentice- Lionpaw: Yellow tom with orange ring around head with yellow eyes

Hazelstripe: Brown she-cat with black ring on tail and green eyes

Juniperbush: Black tom with blue eyes

Apprentice- Patchpaw: Tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices-

Crowpaw

Lilypaw

Lionpaw

Patchpaw

Queens:

Sorrelstripe: Grey tabby she-cat with green eyes

Kittens- Leafkit: White she-cat with brown patches and green eyes

Twigkit: Light brown tom with darker stripes and blue eyes

Mate- Thunderstar

Sparrowwing: Brown she-cat with black spots and blue eyes

Kitten- Grasskit- Black tom with green eyes

Mate: Dead...

Elders-

Reednose: Grey tom bright blue eyes (blind)

Patchfur: No furred she-cat (burned from fire) with yellow eyes

Foxfur: Russet fur tom with green eyes

Rainclan

Leader- Riverstar: Grey she-cat with white spots and blue eyes

Deputy- Stormnose: Black tom with dark blue eyes and long fur

Medicine cat- Moonshine: White she-cat with bright blue eyes and thick fur

Warriors-

Stonetail: White tom with grey tipped tail and paws with green eyes

Apprentice- Jaypaw: Light grey tabby with Blue eyes

Volewhisker: Dark brown tom with brown eyes and long whiskers

Flameblaze: Ginger she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentice- Ravenpaw: black tom with short tail and purple eyes

Rootclaw: Dark grey tom with brown eyes and twisted claws

Goldfur: Yellow tom with dark green eyes and long fur and brown rings on tail

Apprentice- Streampaw: Silver tabby she-cat with green eyes and a black ear tip

Cottonpool: White she-cat with bright blue eyes and fluffy fur

Mapleleaf: Tortoiseshell tom with yellow eyes and big ears

Apprentice- Acornpaw: Brown tom with green eyes and a stumpy tail

Apprentices-

Jaypaw

Ravenpaw

Streampaw

Acornpaw

Queens-

Icepool: White she-cat with two grey splodges and blue eyes

Kittens- Mosskit: White and black she-cat with blue eyes

Fernkit: Grey tom with green eyes and black striped tail

Dandelionkit: Yellow tabby she-cat with green eyes

Mate- Mapleleaf

Marigoldleaf: Yellow tabby she-cat with green eyes and patches of brown

Kitten- Elderkit: Black tom with purple eyes

Mate- Stonetail

Boby: Brown tortoiseshell with yellow eyes (former kittypet)

Kittens- Mouse: Brown tom with blue eyes and small nose

Frost: White she-cat with yellow eyes and fluffy tail

Elders-

Halfear: Small brown tom with torn ears and green eyes

Wetnose: Grey tabby she-cat with a runny nose and blue eyes

Nightclan:

Leader- Shadowstar: Black tom with green eyes and white rings on ears

Deputy- Darkfoot: Dark grey tabby tom with torn ear and brown eyes

Medicine cat: Graypelt: Light grey tom with blue eyes and short legs

Warriors-

Alderleaf: Brown she-cat with green eyes and short fur

Lizardtail: Skinny black tom with brown spots and white stripes with green eyes

Apprentice- Frogpaw: Black tom with green eyes

Badger: Black tom with a white stripe and brown eyes (Originally rogue)

Cliffclaw: White tom with black paws and grey eyes

Apprentice- Sandpaw: Yellow she-cat with orange eyes

Scarjaw: Black tom with broken jaw and yellow eyes

Hawktalon: Grey tabby tom with scars and icy eyes

Dognose: Brown tom with large snout and one green eye, one blue

Apprentice- Snakepaw: Grey she-cat with diamond shaped stripes and green eyes

Rock: grey tom with grey eyes

Queen-

Lichenpelt: Silver she-cat with grey stripes and green eyes

Kitten- Birchkit: White tom with silver stripes and brown eyes

Mate- Badger

Elder-

All died from greencough that swept through Nightclan territory...

Breezeclan-

Leader- Windstar: Light brown tabby she-cat with blues eyes and a white belly

Deputy-?

Medicine cat-?

Warriors-

?

Queens-

?

Kittens-?  
Mate-?

Elders-

?

 **This clan is for _you_ to decide. There will be a few chapters before we meet Breezeclan so you have plenty of time to think of names. Also, if you want more characters, give me their names and clan please. The first chapter will be out soon so don't worry.**


	2. Prologue

**Are you ready? Well you better be because this Fanfiction is about to start! But first, I'd like to thank 'I Really Hope Not' for their review. Remember that this is based on Erin Hunters series, and lets begin...**

Prologue:

The cats of Starclan gathered around the Moonpool, searching it for the next prophecy. As they stared deeper, a shape began to form in its watery depths, a black stone. Suddenly, the stone burst into flames, engulfing everything within reach in its killing grasp. But, before all was lost, rain started to fall, stopping the flames and reviving the broken. All was peaceful.

A cat stepped back from the pool, her green eyes wide with the shock of the vision, her tortoiseshell fur fluffed up. Looking at the cats surrounding her, she spoke, "Cats of Starclan! I know that you saw what I saw in the Moonpool, yet you don't understand it yet. I, though, have an idea." She bowed her head, eyes clouded as though she weren't focused. Gazing into the sky, she sighed. "It means that there is a new prophecy, one which cats from the Clans must know." The Starclan cats watched her, their expressions serious, not giving anything away. The tortoiseshell continued, "The prophecy is:

 _Like wood, coal shall fuel the fire deep within,_

 _And, without water to quench it, shall destroy the Clans"_

The cats looked at one another, there eyes confused. Finally, one called out, "Who should we tell?" Murmurs filled the hollow as cats discussed who would be the one to bear this prophecy. "I think the leaders and Medicine cats" One called out

"No. I think just the Medicine cat, that way Broombush can earn the respect of her leader, its not like she did anything wrong!" A brown tabby called out. A black cat stepped forward "I know you're worried about your sister, but I believe that this _coal_ is a cat, and the leaders should know so they can keep an eye on them." Discussion filled the hollow once more as cats voted for who they wanted to warn.

The sun began to rise, and all the cats stopped to watch its golden rays fill the land, touch everything within sight and turn their home into a paradise of singing birds and sunshine. They sat in silence, gazing in awe at the beauty of their territory; no matter how long they spent there, the dawn always struck them. A russet coloured cat broke the silence, but only with a whisper. "Maybe...maybe a new fire will rise to destroy the old one, like the sun and moon..." No one spoke, they just listened to the light breeze and twittering birds, deep in thought.

"Now, it is time that we decide who will be told, and to make it easier for us, we shall go back to our old ways by casting stones." Murmurs of agreement were swept away by a rising breeze. The tortoiseshell stepped forward once more "The one who wish to tell the leaders and medicine cats, place their stones beside the Moonpool, those who wish to just tell the medicine cats, put their stones at the entrance; and those who wish to tell this so called cat, put their stones by those jagged rocks." With this, the she-cat picked up a pebble, but paused before choosing the _Coal_ pile. A few followed her lead, but the brown tabby strutted forward, then placed her stone by the entrance. Soon, an elderly cat placed her stone beside the Moonpool. "In my day, it was the two who received prophecies, especially when the fate of the clans relied on it." He spoke softly.

This encouraged some others to add to that pile, and the piles seemed to be the same amount. Three cats were left with their stones under their paws, an uncertain expression on their face. The sun climbed higher into the sky, and as it reached the trees, a young apprentice took his stone towards the _Coal_ pile, carefully dropping it beside the others. The other two copied him quickly, then they all raced back to the group of cats in the centre. The tortoiseshell gazed swiftly between each pile counting them up. She then looked up at the sun. "It has been decided" her mew quiet, all the Starclan cats fixed their attention on her. "We shall wait, wait until this coal cat comes, and we shall tell that cat." As she finished, the cats began to fade, returning to their place in the sky...

 **Hi! I Decided It Would Be Good To Add More Cats To The Other Clans, Oh, And I'm Just Adding To Lightningclan For Now, So Please Give Character Ideas For Breezeclan. I Would Also Like To Say, This Story Is Set By The Lake... Here Is The New List:**

 **Lightningclan-**

 **Leader-** Thunderstar: Ginger tom with darker stripes and green eyes

 **Deputy** \- Berryspot: White she-cat with black spots on her face with blue eyes

 **Medicine cat** \- Broombush: Yellow tabby she-cat with golden eyes

 **Warriors** -

 **Fluffytail** \- Light brown she-cat with long fur and green eyes

 **Oakjaw** \- Dark, almost black, brown tom with yellow eyes

Apprentice- Beepaw

 **Burrmuzzle** \- Ginger tom with brown flecks on his face and brown eyes

 **Poolshine** \- Light grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes and a white splodge on her back

 **Squirrelfur** \- Ginger tom with bushy tail and green eyes

 **Shadowheart** \- Black tom with a grey splodge on his chest with yellow eyes

 **Branchfoot** \- Brown tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentice- Lilypaw

 **Daisytail** \- Cream she-cat with yellow eyes

Apprentice- Crowpaw

 **Pebblenose** \- Grey she-cat with a white spot on her nose with blue eyes

 **Olivewhisker** \- Light brown tom with darker spots and green eyes

Apprentice- Lionpaw

 **Hazelstripe** \- Brown she-cat with black rings around her tail and green eyes

 **Juniperbush** \- Black tom with blue eyes

Apprentice- Patchpaw

 **Sandwhisker** \- Pale yellow she-cat with orange flecks and green eyes

 **Sunshine** \- Bright yellow tabby with orange eyes

Apprentices-

Crowpaw- Black tom with a single white paw and blue eyes

Lilypaw- White she-cat with black rings around her paws and green eyes

Lionpaw- Yellow tom with orange ring around his head with yellow eyes

Patchpaw- Tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Beepaw- Orange with black stripes and small ears with green eyes

Queens-

Sorrelstripe- Grey tabby she-cat with green eyes

Kits- Leafkit: White she-cat with with brown patches and green eyes

Twigkit: Light brown tom with darker stripes and blue eyes

Mate- Thunderstar

Sparrowwing- Brown she-cat with black spots and blue eyes

Kit- Grasskit: Black tom with green eyes

Bramblekit: Dark brown tabby tom with leafy eyes

Dewkit: Grey she-cat with blue eyes

Mate- Dead...

Elders -

Reednose- Grey tom with bright blue eyes (Blind)

Patchfur- No furred she-cat (Burned from fire) with yellow eyes

Foxfur- Russet fur tom with green eyes

Cats outside Clans:

Coal- Black she-cat with single white paw and green eyes

Dusk- Light brown tabby she-cat with white paws and chest with green eyes

Catnip- Light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

Slate- Black tom with icy eyes and terrible scars


	3. Sleeping Stars

**Hello! I am back! Yay... Remember this is Warrior cats by Erin Hunter!**

 **Well, here's the first chapter of my fan-fiction!**

Chapter one-

Coal closed her eyes, rolling onto her back as she reached with her paws

over her head to prod at a plant. A purr rumbled deep within her throat. Coal flipped back on her belly, stalks of grass tickling her nose as she made herself comfortable. She lazily opened one eye, then sprang to her paws as she saw a light brown, tabby pelt fly towards her. The other cat collided into her side sending Coal flying. She hit the ground with a thud, and lay there, winded, while she watched the tabby creep through the long grass. Coals whiskers twitched as she picked up the scent, _Familiar..._ Coal thought as she got up to her paws. Suddenly, two white paws landed on her back, while the other two slid clumsily beneath Coal. She fell sideways from the weight, and landed on her attacker, who squealed. Coal got to her paws and placed them on the others fluffy, white chest. The cat went limp beneath them.

"You shall never defeat me, small enemy, for I am the unbeatable Coal!" She yowled, but as soon as she finished, her paws were knocked from under her, and she fell once again. Tiny paws pressed against her and a voice mewed in her ear, "No, I am the winner, for I am fearsome Dusk, with a clever trick!" The weight on Coals side disappeared as Dusk leaped back, her green eyes twinkling. Coal got up and padded over to her sister, purring loudly. "Oh, I am so embarrassed, I thought _I_ was the winner, but no, I suppose being dead is always the way to win." Coal nosed Dusk affectionately. Dusk purred back, happiness filling her gaze.

"Well done both of you!" A voice called. Coal spun around, and instantly recognized her mother, Catnip, padding towards them. Coal purred even louder as pride swelled in her chest. "Though, I think you both could have improved, what do you think?" Catnip gazed at them both. Coal was silent, deep in thought. _What had she done wrong?_ "I didn't jump properly" Dusk mewed.

"No, you didn't, and as Coal showed you, it is a fatal mistake in a real battle, it could get you killed. And what did you do wrong Coal?"Catnip asked

Coal thought some more before answering, "Umm... I was fooled by Dusks trick, and I gloated over my win for too long, which meant Dusk could catch me off guard."

"Yes."Catnip meowed, "well done both of you, you both did very well."Catnip then walked off towards the stream.

Coal looked around the clearing. Trees surrounded it and a stream cut through the middle, with Hawthorn growing beside it. She saw her nest beneath its protective branches. This was her home, and she loved it. Coal ran over to Catnip, who was drinking from the stream. Sitting down next to her, Coal started to groom her ruffled fur. After she finished, she looked at her mum. "Uhhh... Mum?" She began

"Yes, sweety?"

Coal paused, wondering why she wanted to ask this so much. "uh... I was wondering why... you were teaching us b-battle moves? I mean, we are safe here, right?"

Coal looked up into her mothers gaze, searching it for any clue why. She didn't answer, only opening her mouth to lick a paw. Coal pressed on. "Well.. uh, you said that we were only one moon old, and no one would hurt us, so why are you teaching us ba-"

"Ooooh! I know why!" An excited mew called. Coal turned around to see Dusk charging toward them.

"Why?" Coal asked. Looking back to Catnip, Coal saw her gaze was filled with horror as Dusk reached them. Dusk didn't need to be asked twice. "We're leaving! We're leaving this place because it's not safe any more! Twole-" The rest was lost as Catnips tail covered Dusks mouth. Catnips eyes were like green fires burning with rage. Leaning closer she whispered into Dusks ear "Don't tell Coal; I'm afraid she can't handle with the thought of what will happen to this place, you know what her imaginations like!" Coal realized that she wasn't supposed to hear, so she turned around, her thoughts swirling with the fact that they had to leave . _Why? What was her mother so afraid about? Did she think she was weak and Dusk strong?_ Anger burned deep within her. She'd show them! She could handle anything! She _was_ strong, she just needed the chance to prove herself.

Coal looked around. The forest around her was unfamiliar, and dark, with patches of brambles linking the trees together. Her paws trembled as a thick mist started to enfold her, choke her, push her away from the darkness. Suddenly, light burned into her eyes and she blinked. She was lying in her nest, under the Hawthorn, it was just a dream. Countless stars blazing above her. Scurrying over to Dusk, she tried to prod her awake to look at the wonderful sky, but Dusk carried on snoring. Coal gave up and padded out from under the Hawthorn, and gazed at the stars. She realized that they seemed to be moving, getting bigger and forming shapes, getting closer and closer. _Are they cats? No! That's impossible! Unless... am I still asleep?_ Looking closely, Coal noticed that these were cats, with stars shimmering in their pelts. Then, one of the cats floated down to her. She was a pretty tortoiseshell cat with green eyes and a sweet scent.

Coal slowly padded toward the she-cat. She turned to look at Coal, her green gaze burning into her, so Coal felt as if the strange cat was staring right into her.

"She's very small..."

"I know but she has to be the one! She made it to that horrid place with no problem at all!"

"I know, it's just that..." Coal listened closely as two starry cats whispered to each other. The tortoiseshell cat spun around and the two went silent. Coal stared around her. "Wh-who are you?"She stammered.

"My name is Dapplefur,"the tortoiseshell meowed,"and I am a Warrior from Starclan." Coal had never heard of these cats before, but the word _clan_ sounded familiar. "Why are you talking to me?"Coal squeaked

"Because, we need to warn you," a grey tom growled, "dark times lay ahead, but, no matter what, you must never go to that place ever again."

"That dark forest over there..."Coal looked around, the forest was nowhere in sight, neither was her home. Panic started to overtake her. "Where's home? What have you done?" Her questions weren't answered; looking back, she realized that the star cats were fading away, becoming one with the air. "No! Don't leave!" Coal yowled, but she was too late.

Her eyes flew open and she sprang to her paws. Dawn light filtered through the branches of the Hawthorn and warmed her black pelt. She was home, nothing had happened to it, everything had just been a bad dream. Home. Coal suddenly remembered that they would be leaving soon, leaving her home, her nest, her play area behind and going somewhere, which Mum had said would be safer. _Why?_


	4. Explanation

Dusk: Have you heard?

Coal: Heard what?

Dusk: The creator!

Coal: Remember, I _never_ know anything.

Dusk: What do you mean?

Coal: Never mind...

Dusk: Okaaaaay... well, I've heard that the creator of this story, which is about me, had lost some of her inspiration.

Coal: So?

Dusk: Well! It explains why she hasn't updated her story for over a month!

Coal: What!

 _*Distant clanging*_

Dusk: What was that?!

Coal: No idea...

 _*Footsteps making there way over*_

Coal: Uhhhh...

 _*Twoleg runs in, panting, and rushes over to Coal and Dusk*_

Dusk: Where have you been? Do you realize that you have left our audience hanging from the previous chapter about me and Coal? Really, what happened?

ZZCoalpawZz: Ummmmm... I may have... forgotten...

Coal &

Dusk: WHAT! HOW DARE YOU FORGET ABOUT US?

ZZCoalpawZz: I didn't mean that! Well, I did, but no!

Coal: Well tell me what you meant then!

ZZCoalpawZz: Well, I lost a bit of my inspiration, so I left this project for a while, then I lost my laptop and couldn't be bothered to find it!

Dusk: So you haven't been writing for a whole month?

ZZCoalpawZz: You can't blame me! Blame the school for giving me end of year Exams! The revision for that was hard!

Dusk: Okaaaaay. (To Coal) What in the World is 'exams'?

Coal: No idea.

ZZCoalpawZz: Look, now that I haven't got any more exams, I promise the next chapter will be out soon. And I'll make sure it is interesting.

 **See you on the next page!**


	5. Unanswered Quetions

**Well, I spent quite a while on this since I couldn't think of how to put certain things and how to space it out a bit. It's quite long so I'll just be writing the next chapter while you read this.**

Chapter 2-

 _Why?_ The question repeated itself over and over in Coals ears, filling her with dread. Dusk knew the reason, and yet Coal didn't, and their Mum didn't want her to know either. Anger burned deep within Coal's belly, and not even the beautiful sunrise could calm her flying thoughts. _What if Mum prefers Dusk to me?_ Coal sat rigid as this thought sprang into her mind, but she pushed it away. _What was the use of creating an argument, when Coal wasn't even sure whether her facts were true or not?_ She arched her back and stretched her paws one after the other, then started to groom her fur. It wasn't long until Dusk came bounding towards her, her tail fluffed up and scraps of moss hung from her fur, but her eyes sparkled like dew on a sunny morning.

"I can't wait to start finding a new home! It will be so fun!" Dusk mewed happily. Coal shifted uncomfortably. Should she tell her sister that she wasn't looking forward to a new home? No! Dusk already thought that she was weak, and Coal was _not_ going to let her and their Mum think she was weak even more! Coal wrapped her tail around herself, her single white paw standing out against her night black pelt.

"I can't wait either! Who knows what adventures we might have together." She purred, hoping that she did sound enthusiastic. At that moment, Catnip padded over, her tail waving in the air and a smile on her face.

"I'm glad you two are alright with going to a new home!" Her green gaze lingered on Coal, and she realized that there was a hint of worry deep within her eyes. Coal huffed angrily, _I am_ not _a helpless kit any more! I can look after myself!_

"It would be best if we left now before... before it's too late." Catnip meowed, her eyes darkening. "But first, I'd like to see if either of you can hunt!" All of Coals anger evaporated and was soon replaced with excitement and determination as her mother's words sunk in. "Yes please!" Coal mewled, her feelings clear as her voice gave a little squeak. Dusk ran around in circles, yowling,"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Catnip purred with amusement before she crouched down low, her belly fur barely off of the ground. She placed each paw down so gently that Coal couldn't hear a thing! She stalked forward a few tail lengths before trotting back to Dusk and Coal. "That particular hunting crouch was for hunting mice. Mice can usually feel your paw-steps way before they can see or smell you."

"So that's why you were putting each paw down so lightly." Dusk mused.

"Exactly!" Catnip purred, pride flashing in her eyes. Coal scowled. It was pretty easy to see that! _Why is Mum always talking to and praising Dusk? And never me!?_ Coal thought bitterly. Lowering herself to the ground, Coal tried to mimic Catnips crouch, slowly and carefully placing one paw after the other, being as quiet as she could.

After a few tail-lengths, Coal focused on a long blade of grass, swaying in the light breeze. It twirled and danced in the warm sun, a lovely bright green, with a small purple berry lying beside it. She slowly, slowly, crept towards the grass and the berry. Something began to thud in her ears, Coal shook her head, hoping to get rid of the noise, but it just got louder and louder. Thud Thud! Thud Thud! Thud Thud! Thud Thud! Then, a white light filled her vision and she felt her entire body twist and spin, making loud cracking noises. Pain filled Coal's soul and the thudding got louder and louder. She screwed up her eyes, hoping with all her might that the pain would go away. The light faded. The cracking stopped, and then pain evaporated. The thudding continued, only quieter and quicker.

Coal decided to carry on hunting on the grass, but when she looked, the blade had grown! It towered up high, seeming to scratch at the clouds that scudded the pale blue sky. Little seeds dangled from the top, preparing themselves to fall and grow into more grass. Beside the grass was the juiciest berry that she had ever seen. She had to get it! _Food. Not just for me, but for my family too..._ Coal jumped. _Food?_ What was her mind telling her? She looked behind her to check whether Dusk and Catnip were watching and had seen the sudden growth in their surroundings, but she couldn't see them at all! What she did see was her body, now a light brown that was tiny! A long thin tail with no fur protruded from the end, still and silent. Coal realized that her snout had grown too, with a small berry like nose at the end. Thin long whiskers twitched as Coal examined herself. ' _You are a mouse.'_ A voice whispered into Coal's ear.

' _Who are you? And, aren't I supposed to be hunting a mouse?'_ Coal yowled at the voice.

' _Go get food for your family, remember, mice like berries!'_ And with that, Coal felt the presence of the strange voice disappear.

Coal decided it would be best to listen to the voice and scurried forward towards the large berry. She paused a moment. _How_ am _I am_ mouse? _I'm a cat! Did it have something to do with the pain?_ She slowly crawled to the berry, hoping that she would get it for her family. Coal sensed something move to her right, she swivelled her head in that direction, and saw herself, a small black cat with a single white paw and forest green eyes. Watching this cat was two others, one smaller than the other, but both very similar. ' _Mum! Dusk! It's me! Coal...'_ She squeaked, and rushed forward to them. As soon as she took her first few steps, two gigantic paws pushed into her chest, squishing Coal into the ground, squeezing all of the breath from her. She looked up to see the black cat glaring down at her, her teeth bared in a snarl, preparing to snap around her fragile neck, and end her life. ' _NO! My family!'_

she squealed. Then, Coal saw her cat self lunge forward and grasp her spine, and bite down hard. The pain was unbearable, worse from the one she had just experienced, and she gave out her last squeak, waiting as the black mist covered her eyes and her breathing became ragged, slowly stopping. Thud Thud. Thud Thud. Thud thud... thud thud...thud... Nothing.

Coal opened her eyes, gasping for air. She blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust to the brightness after such a suffocating darkness. Looking around, she noticed she was a cat again, with everything back to it's normal size. Something warm was trapped beneath her paws, furry and small. _The mouse?_ Coal stared at the lifeless body. _I killed it._ I _killed it! It had a family! It just wanted to feed them, why did I do it?_ A feeling of dread spread thought Coal's body as she carried on watching the mouse. She felt tears fill her eyes. _What if Dusk or Catnip was murdered, and left me behind to starve?_ Coal shook her head. She hadn't even been in control when she had killed this mouse. Somebody else must have done it. She jumped as her Mum nudged her shoulder, purring loudly.

"Well done! You managed to catch it on your first attempt!" She meowed.

Coal looked up into her mother's eyes, her praise not even touching her sadness from the mouse. She glanced back at the dead body. "Mum?"

"Yes, Coal?"

"Ummm... can we leave now?" Coal wanted to run far away, further then where they would be going. She had to get away from the mouse!

"Sure! We can go once you two have eaten!"

"Yay!" Dusk bounded to the mouse, "I'm going to have first bite!" Coal felt sick as Dusk chewed thoughtfully.

"Hmmm... I prefer it! It's delicious, why don't you try some, Coal?" Dusk stepped back, giving Coal space to try some. Coal eyed it, the sickening feeling becoming worse and worse. ' _You did it. You killed that mouse's family. Now, the same might happen again when you go out with your family.'_ She flicked her ear. The voice was back again, haunting her mind.

"Um, no thanks. I'll eat later if that's OK." She mumbled.

"Alright! Just as long as you don't start complaining when we've only started the journey." Catnip teased. Dusk carried on eating her meal, Mum soon joining in. Coal backed off, hoping neither of them would notice her.

Coal padded over to the stream and lapped at the cool, refreshing water, shaking her head slowly. How had she done it? One moment she was hunting a blade of grass, the next she was being hunted as a mouse! She just wanted to leave. She heard paws thumping against the ground and turned to see Dusk rushing to her.

"We're going now!" She yowled, "Mum said that if you're ready, we can go and make it half way there by the time the sun is beginning to set!" Coal stared at Dusk. She knew where they were going, when and how long it would take, and yet Coal only knew it that they would leave once the mouse was eaten. Her previous anger returned, bubbling deep beneath her fur, churning up and spreading through her once more. _Catnip_ does _prefer Dusk to me!_ "So, you know where we are going?" Coal asked casually. Dusk nodded vigorously.

"Could you tell me? Please?" Coal tried to hide her hurt at the truth she had just uncovered, hoping that Dusk would think that she was curious instead. Dusk seemed happy that Coal was asking, annoying her even more.

"Well, Mum said that we are going to go and live by a lake not far from here, where apparently some other cats already live who are really vicious, but she said we could stay out of their way and be fine!" Coal glared at the ground. Her Mum was telling Dusk everything and wasn't telling her a thing! She spun around and stormed off toward the Hawthorn, where her comfy nest lay alongside her mother's and Dusk's. She heard her sister calling after her, but she ignored shadows cast by the thorny branches made pretty patterns on the grass floor, relaxing. This was her home.

"Coal!" Coal ignored the voice calling to her.

"Coal!" She sat with her back turned to whoever was trying to get her attention.

"Coal! Turn around you mousebrain!" Coal jumped at the sudden insult, and whirled around to find out whether it was Dusk or Catnip coming to pester her again. But, she saw neither of them, what she did see was a star! She sprang onto her paws and rushed over to the glowing light, despite the pain in her eyes she carried on staring. Coal's mouth was wide open and she stopped right in front of the star. It sparkled calmly, it's light casting shadows that danced and twirled. Coal gazed at the star in awe, transfixed by it's beauty. Suddenly, there was a load bang and the light exploded, the force of it sending Coal flying backwards, turning everything to a suffocating darkness, blacker than her own pelt.

She heard voices, voices that she didn't recognise, they were howling, screeching, becoming louder and louder. Closer and closer. Coal opened her eyes, but only saw the same suffocating dark that the star had given, entering her and filling her until she could hardly breathe. The howls kept getting closer, so close that Coal heard something she shouldn't know about, but she still knew what it was. The sound of claws ripping through skin, blood pouring onto the ground, pooling. Teeth digging so deep they scraped the white bone. The drip of blood from both enemies, falling from their muzzles and wounds, splashing onto the grass, rolling off before reaching mud. Tails lashing in an uncontrollable anger, whipping back and forth. The images flashed in her mind, the screeching becoming clearer. She had heard it all before. _But where? When!?_

Something grabbed her by the scruff and yanked her backwards, lifting her off her paws so she felt like she were flying! It didn't last long, and she was suddenly dumped onto ground, ground that she could see. It was surprisingly warm and comfortable, the blades of grass short so it didn't tickle her small nose. Coal looked up, and almost leaped out of her skin as she saw the grey tom with golden yellow eyes from one of her previous dreams. The look on his face was one of which Coal knew meant trouble, his eyes smouldering with anger. He lowered himself until his nose was whiskers away from Coal's, and he could smell his breath; it wasn't bad, it smelled of open air and stone mixed with cold, but Coal hated everyone's breath. She flinched away from him, but the tom only came closer, a low growl escaping his mouth. "I thought... I told you... _not_ to go back to that place!" Coal stared up at him. Fear was churning up inside of her, making her heart thud quicker. Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud.

"Well?" The tom hadn't stopped glaring at the kitten, and Coal couldn't stand it anymore.

"I'm sorry!" She burst out, "I don't know why I go there! I just fell asleep and something happened! I didn't even know it was a dream. It still is a dream, right? It was as if I were awake, but..." Coal struggled to find the right word, "trapped." The tom straightened up, considering Coal for what felt like days, until he finally spoke. "What is your name, kitten?" Coal stared up at the tom. She didn't trust him, he had tried to hurt her! "What is _your_ name?" Was all that she could come up with. Understanding glinted in the tom's eyes, "You do not trust me?"

When Coal kept quiet, he continued, "I am sorry that I scared you, but I swear on Starclan, that I wasn't going to hurt you."

"Wasn't Dapplefur Starclan, or something like that?" Coal mewed

"No, but she is part of Starclan, one of the many cats who hunt in the grounds of Starclan and give advice to the other Clans."

"Other Clans?" Coal echoed.

"Um, never mind," The tom meowed quickly, "that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that you wake up now, and never go to that dark forest again!" His meow was so urgent that Coal nodded her head straight away. She suddenly felt very tired, and felt herself fall to the ground. Her vision was cut off by her drooping eyelids as she fell asleep once again. Something whispered in her ear, "My name doesn't matter, but yours? Yours does." There was a moments silence, before the tom continued. "What is your name?" Coal's mind wasn't working, and she heard herself murmuring, "Coal..."

"Well Coal," Grey Wing whispered, "take care." And Coal allowed the calming darkness to overcome her.


	6. Leaving

**Hi! It's me, again, and this time I'm early, which obviously means that I am still super late! In fact, it has been longer than last time!... Sorry. Well, yet again I have also written a rather long chapter so it would be helpful that you could point out any mistakes I've made, and give any advice at all. Well, you better start reading then!**

Coal slowly opened her eyes, surprised to find that she was back in her nest, curled up in a small ball. She couldn't remember falling asleep, but she did remember her dream. Coal sat up and licked her single white forepaw, watching the grass blow in the wind.

"COAL!" Coal nearly leaped out of her skin. She spun around and saw Catnip, standing right in front of her, glaring at Coal with the same look the tom from Coal's dream had. She took a step forward and beckoned Coal forward with her tail. Coal obeyed and scurried over to her Mother, out from the shade of the Hawthorn, and stood there, studying her paws. "Coal..." Coal looked up and saw that her Mother's gaze had softened slightly, looking more sympathetic. "I'm sorry that I shouted, I was just worried." _I'm not that useless! Just because I'm small for my age, doesn't mean you have to follow my every move!_ Coal growled to herself. She leaped into the air. "You don't need to worry about me! I can look after myself thank you very much!" Coal announced. Catnip sighed. "But you and Dusk were just talking, and then you ran off! I thought you'd been upset or something! And just after you'd asked whether we could leave!" Shame filled Coal as she realised that her Mother had just been worried for her feelings, not her size.

"I'm sorry Mother." Coal mewed, "But I had the most amazing dream!" she continued! Catnip chuckled, "well, what was it about?" She asked. Coal was about to answer, when something made her stop. _What if she doesn't believe me? What if she thinks I'm crazy because I say that there is such a thing as cats living in the sky?_ It sounded crazy, but she'd seen them! Instead, she said, "I dreamed that I was in the most beautiful place in the world!" She couldn't remember looking around, but she felt as if she knew exactly what it looked like. "The trees were tall yet welcoming! The grass was short and it was so warm, not too hot or too cold. And there was endless hills stretching out in front of me, with patches of purple flowers! And the sun was huge, yet it wasn't blinding. It was amazing!" she finished.

"That sounds lovely, Coal. Now, Dusk is waiting for us by the stream. Why don't you see if you can creep up on her? Give her a little scare before we leave?" Catnip suggested. Coal nodded and instantly ran off toward the stream.

She slowed down as she neared the stream, the place where her unsuspecting victim was waiting. Crouching low to the ground so that she was hidden in the long grass that surrounded the stream, she crawled forward, getting closer towards her sister. Sticking her head out of the grass patch, she spotted Dusk dabbing at the water while she waited. Coal took one paw-step closer, then another, slowly exiting her hiding spot. She imagined that she was hunting again, and that her sister was a juicy water vole. Her prey was distracted by the patterns the light made in the water, which Coal had to admit, looked very pretty. _Don't get distracted._ She scolded herself. _If you do, what else would you eat?_ She concentrated on the vole as it started to dab at the water again. _If I get a little closer , then I'd easily be able to pounce on her!_ A few more paw-steps closer and she would be able to capture her second meal that day! Coal placed her paw down, preparing to jump, when something cracked beneath it, startling the vole. She let out a screech and leaped through the air, aiming for the creature that cowered in front of her.

Suddenly, the vole started to transform into a brown tabby cat with white paws, belly and chin, and it stood onto its hind paws, bracing for Coal's attack. Coal mewled in surprise and crashed into her sister, knocking them both onto the bank of the stream. Coal leaped onto her paws, and spun around to try and pounce on Dusk, but she was too late. Dusk was already charging towards her with surprising speed, and Coal felt herself being clued to the spot as she stared at the angry form of her sister. Before Coal could react, Dusk barrelled into her, sending her flying through the air. She squealed in horror as she realised that she was heading straight for the stream! Coal twisted in the air, trying to change where she was going to land, but yet again, she was too slow. Her cry was cut off as she went head first into the freezing water. She was still for a heartbeat, shocked by the sudden change in temperature, but soon noticed that she could feel small pebbles and stones against her back. She flipped over and kicked the floor, so she flew up towards the surface of the stream.

Coal's head broke the surface of the stream, and she started paddling towards one of the banks. It only took a couple of heartbeats before Coal could reach the floor of the stream without drowning, and she instantly tried to run the rest of the way out. The current was weak, but it still pulled at Coal's fur, and slowed her run, almost tripping her up. After a few more moments of struggling, she felt somebody grab her by the scruff, lifting her out of the water that was up to her chest, and swinging her over to the bank, and dropping her there. The familiar scent of her Mother drifted around her, and looking up, she saw the amused face of her Mother looking down at her. "Well," Coal heard Dusk coming over, her barely contained laugh obvious in her voice, "I realised that you wanted to be a great fighter and hunter, I just didn't realise that you also wanted to be a fish!" Coal just shook the water out of her fur in reply, spraying her sister with cold droplets. "Hey!" Catnip protested, as some of the droplets reached her. Dusk squealed and jumped back, before Coal could get any more payback for being called a fish.

"OK, Coal, I'm sorry, you're not a fish, just a flying cat!" Dusk teased her once more, before rushing over Catnip to hide behind her. Coal just laughed at their drenched pelts, until she saw them laughing at her pelt which had tufts sticking up all over the place. She frowned at them, then padded past them, shoving into Dusk as she passed. Turning back around, she stared at her family expectantly. "Are we _going_ to start our new home search today or not?" She meowed, then turned around again and padding off in a random direction, trying to stop herself from laughing at their surprised expressions. Coal didn't really know why she did that, she didn't know which direction the lake they were going to was, she just thought it would be funny, leaving without them.

The way she was going was following down the stream, towards huge oak trees with brambles and nettles hiding in the shade of the trees' huge branches. Instead of hoping that this was the right direction so she didn't look like some sort of fool, she was hoping that she had chosen the wrong way. The way ahead of her seemed untrustworthy, full of sinister shadows, reaching out, and enveloping everything in its invisible grip. She suddenly remembered her nightmare turned not so nightmare, the moment before the grey tom had spoken to her. The darkness of it. The way it allowed you to feel and yet not see. The horror it had brought her. Coal felt her paw-steps falter as she stared at the shadows. _Is there fighting in_ that _darkness?_ She asked herself. _What if every darkness was fighting its own battle, fighting for its own territory to overtake?_ Coal shook herself. _My mind is as dark as my pelt, if not darker._ She realised.

Coal couldn't look at the shadows any longer. She spun around and ran as fast as she could towards her Mother and Dusk, hoping that they wouldn't tease her any more, even though they too must have discovered her new found fear. In one movement, Coal skidded to a stop and hid behind her Mother, trembling. She closed her eyes, breathing heavily. _It's OK,_ she soothed herself, _shadows can't hurt you, they can only scare you, nothing more._

 _'They can also hide you, your prey, and your enemies.'_ The voice whispered in her head. _'Never trust anything or anyone that is in the shadows.'_

 _'What do you mean?'_ Coal asked, _'Who are you?'_ But once again there was no answer, and she felt the voice's presence disappear. She scowled in frustration, but was drawn out of her thoughts by a prodding in her side. Coal screeched and whipped around, her fur spiking and hergreen eyes wide with fear. She internally hit herself as she saw the form of Dusk's light tabby pelt rolling on the ground, letting out uncontrollable laughs. Coal wished the ground would swallow her up. She had just been scared to death by her own sister, someone who had always been prodding and pranking her! Her fur began to lie flat and she let out a sigh. _How embarrassing! First I'm scared by a shadow, then by my own sister!_

Coal glanced at her Mother, who looked as if she was in pain as she kept her laughs in. She scowled again. She had only been scared! She hadn't just messed up how to walk in a straight line! Turning back to Dusk, she glared at her sister who was now gasping in pain from laughing too hard.

"Yo-you – you should ha-have seen the loo-look on your face!" She exclaimed between laughs. "You we-were staring at-at nothing... an-and I tri-tried to get your attention... and you ha-ha-had a heart attack! Yo-you lo-looked s-o-o-o scared!" With that, Dusk started screaming and laughing "OW! OW! My sides! OW! They hurt so much! OW! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Coal felt herself burn up at this. Why was she so scared of just one little prod? She had just been talking to the strange voice, maybe it had something to do with that? Or the shadows? She didn't know, but she couldn't stand Dusk laughing any more. Coal leapt through the air landing right on top of the squirming tabby. She pinned her down with one paw while batting her on the nose with the other. Dusk instantly stopped having her little fit and cried out in surprise, making Coal laugh. She took her paw off of Dusk's shoulder, but as soon as her grip had loosened, her sister flipped onto her back and kicked Coal in the belly. Her breathe left her body in an instant and she crumbled to the floor, her chest aching and mind spinning. She felt something heavy press both of her shoulders into the ground, and as her eyes focused, she saw that Dusk had pinned her down with a look of triumph on her face.

"The Fearsome Dusk has won the battle against her enemy the Unbeatable Coal once again!" Dusk yowled happily. Coal huffed "Why are you so good at fighting? If that had been real, you'd be dead and _I'd_ be the winner cause I caught you by surprise!" Dusk looked down at her annoyed sister. She bowed her head and got off of Coal. "I am _so_ sorry. How will I ever repay you? I didn't mean to not die, I just didn't feel in the mood for death at the moment, that's all. Will you _ever_ forgive me?" Dusk looked at her sister with round, innocent eyes.

Coal couldn't help it. She let out a little giggle, before following Dusk's act, and made her voice load and full of power. "Well, Fearsome Dusk, I am afraid that I will only be able to forgive you if you follow me around as my slave. You must hunt for me, groom my fur, make my nest and tend to me in any way needed whenever I ask. Got it?" Another giggle escaped her. Dusk bowed her head, "Whatever you say, Coal. I am your slave." Dusk glanced towards their mother's amused gaze before she burst out laughing. Coal joined in a few heartbeats later. It was so hard not to laugh when her sister did! The two kits sat there laughing for a while, until their mother padded over to them. She nudged them both, "Come on my little, giggly kits! We have to go now, remember? I'm quite happy to say that we won't be going the way you thought we were going." She gave Coal an amused smile. "We will actually be heading towards the setting sun, so I believe we should go now." Coal looked at the sun, and gasped as she saw how low it had gotten since she had last checked. At least it meant they knew which way to go.

Their mother started to head towards the sun, her light tabby pelt seemed to glow in the sun's golden rays, her shadow long and elegant. Coal stared at her Mother for a few heartbeats, then she leaped to her paws and raced after her. Dusk was following them soon after. Their Mother lead them to the edge of their clearing, where the ground slowly sloped upwards to where some birch trees were visible. Excitement coursed through Coal's body as she stared at the top of the hill. Imagine all of the things she'd be able to see from up there! Her Mother had never let them up there before, saying that there was a bit of a drop on the other side, and that they might hurt themselves if they fell down it. Coal knew that she'd only said that to protect them, but each day, her and Dusk had still begged to go up there. Now, they were finally going to the top, to see the view and what wonders lay beyond their home.

Dusk looked as excited as Coal felt, her pelt bristling and her eyes wide like moons. Her Mother had already started to climb the hill, and the two sisters scampered after her, not wanting to be left behind. It was surprisingly hard to walk up, and Coal quickly ran out of breathe. _Why was Mother going so fast?_ Coal cursed her weak kit legs and wished she were bigger, like Dusks, who seemed to be really enjoying herself. Finally, they had reached the top of the hill, and Coal was exhausted. She was glad that they hadn't gone up here when she was younger, otherwise she'd have probably died! She flopped down on the grass, catching her breathe with her eyes closed.

Coal felt something nudge her shoulder, and she cracked open one eye to see Dusk's face, her eyes shining like stars. "Come on, Coal! You have to look at this! It's amazing." Coal got to her paws and padded around the tree she was under, to where her Mother was sitting, gazing out to the world in front of her. Coal sat by her side and looked. What she saw took her breathe away, not because she was tired, but because it was so beautiful. The hill, like her Mother had said, sloped down steeply, but at the bottom, was a forest, huge and mighty, the trees towering up high and the bright leaves blowing in the light breeze. The tree tops could be seen going on forever, the leaves looking like green ripples of water, stretching out further and further. The sun shone down on the wonderful view, filling it with light and happiness, chasing away all dark shadows. Coal squinted her eyes; in the distance, she could see a small, purple smudge, rising out from beyond the forest. The sky was a clear blue, tinged with oranges and pinks from the sun, a few wisps of cloud hung in the sky, soft and feathery.

Coal couldn't help but stare. She'd never seen anything so big in her life! And they were going to go through it all, following the setting sun. Silently, her Mother stood up, and started to weave around the few trees that was still between them and the way down, and padded down the steep hill towards the edge of the forest. Coal sprang to her paws, and was about to race after her Mother, when she couldn't help but look over her shoulder, down the other side of the hill, to where she had been born.

The small clearing looked lovely from up here! Colourful flowers were dotted everywhere, poking out of the long grass and pointing upwards. The stream which Coal had fallen into earlier sparkled in the sunlight, curving through the centre of her home. Not too far off from the stream, was the Hawthorn, it's branches full of small white flowers, swaying gently in the wind. Coal loved her home. _It isn't my home any more, though..._

Coal shook her head, and sprang after her Mother and Dusk, who were already half way down. It wasn't her home any more, but she was leaving it, and that left a small ache in her heart. She knew it wasn't hers now, but, one day, it would be.

 **Thanks for reading! I hope the wait was worth it! I must say though, I've become really motivated to write this now, so I'll try and write a page or two a day, and then you won't have to wait as long for updates. Well, I guess that I'll see you soon! Bye!**

 **Xx**


	7. Darkened Thoughts

**Well, welcome back! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I've recently gone back to school, which has made me feel as if I can't waste time or else I'll just think about it for the rest of my life until I die! (I had this thought while eating breakfast before school, so, that wasn't good for me! Spent the rest of my first day back having what some people would call, an 'Existential Crisis' ) Review Reply Time!**

 **Kay Frew Harris- Thanks! I'm glad that I'm smart enough to remember how to spell!**

 **I-Really-Hope-Not- Glad you like their heroic names! Hopefully you'll be seeing more of them in the next few chapters!**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you at the bottom!**

 _Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow._ Each step was painful. With every step forward, she would feel the pain start fromher pad, then reach up her legs, and finally spreading through her entire body. They hadn't had a break ever since they had sat on the hill, overlooking the forest that they were now in. The sun had set, and the moon was beginning to rise, giving each tree a ghostly glow. Shadows were everywhere, cast by the massive branches of the trees that surrounded her, looking almost as if it were trying to attack. The way the twigs made claw like shapes emphasized the thought of them attacking. Coal had tripped over so many roots, fallen into so many holes, she was surprised to still be walking. Dusk had also lost her happy bounce, and was plodding along just ahead of Coal with her head bowed. Everyone was tired, but her Mother had said that they needed to cover as much ground as possible before they even thought about sleeping. Coal remembered how jumpy she had seemed as they entered the forest, and the way she had snapped at her when she asked if they could stop. Coal sighed. Usually, she would apologize to her or give her a comforting lick after she snapped, but her Mother hadn't even looked at her, and her heart still ached from it.

Coal wished that she had eaten that mouse that she'd caught from earlier, but instead, she had felt too awful about killing it in the first place to even think about eating it. Her belly gave a loud rumble at the thought of food, proof of how hungry she was. Coal looked up at her Mother, but she didn't seem to have heard her belly, her eyes fixed straight ahead as she took long strides forward, keeping such a fast pace, that Coal could barely keep up. She'd never walked so far in her entire life, especially without eating anything for so long. She _had_ eaten, it was the first thing she did everyday whenever she woke up: eat, wash, play, learn, eat, rest, play, eat, wash, sleep. That was what she did. Sometimes, their Mother would take her and Dusk out into the woods, but only for a bit, never as long as this. She was so tired. It was so hard to put one paw in front of the other, and she knew that she was falling behind, soon to be lost in the shadows...

Coal felt the fear build up inside of her. _Too many shadows. Too many shadows. Too many shadows_. She knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer, it was getting harder and harder to walk, her paw-steps becoming uneven and smaller. The fear was too much, she could barely handle it, her tiredness making it difficult to contain everything that was threatening to rush into her head. Coal screwed her eyes shut, stopping abruptly in her tracks, taking deep breaths, allowing her racing mind to calm down. A few heartbeats passed, and only when her head had stopped spinning and her breathing was normal, did she finally open her eyes. Suddenly, a new fear struck her heart, searing deep into it. _Where's Mother and Dusk?_ Her eyes darted around wildly. They were nowhere to be seen, swallowed by the shadows, leaving her behind forever. She tried to run forward, but couldn't. She couldn't budge a bit. Exhaustion swept over her, almost knocking her to the ground, but her fear gave her determination. She lifted a paw, trying to take a step forward, to go search for her family, but as soon as it had left the floor, her other three legs gave way beneath her. Coal's breath was knocked out of her as she crashed to the ground, her heartbeats beginning to quicken again.

 _I'm lost. Mother and Dusk have gone and they'll never find me, and I can't find them. The shadows have taken them away from me..._ Coal curled into a small ball. The shadows were all around her, hungry for more to swallow, hungry to lose all of those dear to anyone. The shadows seemed to notice her sudden fear of them, and they began to slide closer, slithering on the uneven ground towards her, enclosing her in a black cage. Coal gave one last attempt to escape from their treacherous clutches, but to no avail. Her body was weak. Too weak. Her mind was weak. Too weak. Just as her Mother had said. She needed protection. She couldn't protect herself, and she never would be able to. The shadows had her in their grasp, and they'd never let go. All that Coal could do was let out a pitiful mew, before suffocating blackness enveloped her.

Her whole body ached, her paws felt as though they had been ripped to shreds, her legs and back stiff. Coal lay there for a moment. _What happened?_ She couldn't remember much, just being extremely tired, then blackness engulfing her. She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head to look for her Mother. She wasn't there. _Is she by the stream?_ Coal wondered. Instead of her Mother, she saw huge roots twisted together, forming a protective wall around her. _Funny, I don't remember the Hawthorn having such large roots..._ Then it hit her. She wasn't at her home any more, she was in search for a new one, and she and her family had been travelling non stop until Coal hadn't been able to go on. _What had happened after that?_ Coal looked around once more, and realized that she could see everything. She looked up and saw sunlight trickling through the leaves and lighting up the forest around her. The last time she was looking around was when darkness surrounded her. Shadows still lay here and there, but they didn't seem as threatening as they had when it was dark.

Coal sat up then stretched, wincing as her muscles screamed in pain. How far had she walked yesterday? She tried to take a step forward, but pain shot up her front paw, her legs buckled beneath her, and she came crashing back to the ground. Coal glanced down at her paw, _What's wrong with it?_ She lifted it up and gave it a little shake, wincing as the pain shot through her again, taking the breath out of her lungs. Coal lay there in a heap for a few more heartbeats, then decided to try and get up again; she _had_ to find her family, even if that meant searching all day, the next day, or even the day after. She was going to find them, even though the shadows had taken them away from her, she was going to be with them again!

This time, when Coal tried getting up, she did her best at putting as little pressure on her front paw as possible, but the pain still stayed. Coal let out a breath she hadn't realised that she was holding in; she was standing! Her other legs ached from walking so much, and she could feel them wobbling, straining to keep her body up, but they _were_ keeping her up! She gave a little jump of joy, completely forgetting the fact that her paw was hurt, and when she landed, she let out a cry, the pain once again shooting up from her paw through her leg to her shoulder, and once again, she crumbled to the ground. Coal curled up, her whimpering muffled by her fur as she tried to comfort herself from the pain. She wasn't too sure how long had passed, but the pain eventually subsided, and Coal was able to try and stand again. Her paw ached as she stood there, allowing some of her weight onto it, she sucked in a breath, the pain shooting through her again, but slowly fading to a dull ache.

Coal took a step forward, testing her paw to see if it was able to withstand more pressure, and when the pain didn't flare up through her leg, she gave out a joyous cry. She took another step forward, and another, each time she took a step her breathing would quicken when she put pressure on her paw too quickly. Coal was concentrating so hard on taking slow steps, she didn't realise how far she'd gone until she walked into something- something hard. She stumbled back in surprise, realising she had just walked into a tree, and yowled when her paw hit against a root, tripping her up. She fell onto her side, tears blurring her eyesight from the pain in her paw. How was she supposed to find her family if she couldn't even walk? How could she find them if she _could_ walk? After all, she had no idea where she was, no idea what had happened to them, no idea as to how to track anything or anyone. But, she _had_ to try, or else she would never survive. Coal thought back to when the shadows had trapped her, separating her from her family, when she had curled up, scared to death, and realising just how much she needed to be protected. All the times when her Mother was protecting her, she had gotten annoyed at her, but now, Coal would do anything to be protected by her again. _'How about walking?'_

Coal nearly leaped out of her fur, making such a sudden movement that her paw began to hurt again, not as painful as before, but still painful. She whipped her head around, searching for the source of the voice, peering into the depths of the shadows. She remembered when the voice in her head had told her never to trust anyone that had anything to do with shadows. The Voice! Coal instantly stopped staring at the shadows, and instead focused, closing her eyes slightly, allowing her to pay attention. ' _Who are you?'_ She asked in her mind.

' _That really doesn't matter.'_ Was all she got in reply, but before she could ask anything else, the voice continued. ' _I noticed that you seemed to have lost yourself, and somehow hurt your paw, and I decided that it would be good of me to come and help you.'_ Coal lay there in silence, registering what the voice had just said. It had said 'come and help you', but how could it do that? It was just a voice, one that kept on appearing and disappearing, but still a voice, and anyway, where did it disappear to? ' _I'd much prefer it if you called me a 'him' rather than just 'it''_ the voice was polite, but Coal detected a slight edge to it.

"Sorry." Coal mumbled. She was stunned into a silence once again. The voice could somehow read her thoughts, without her knowing; how long had it- he been doing that? What thoughts had he read? What did he know about her? She paused for a second. Had she apologized to the voice, or had she spoken out loud? _'Sorry'_ She meowed in her mind to the voice. ' _That's OK. And, I think that I know you more than you know yourself.'_ He ended his sentence in a sly tone.

' _What?'_ Coal screeched _'But, how's that possible? I mean, I know nothing about you! For all I know you don't exist!'_

 _'Ah, well, like you thought a little earlier, you don't know how long I've been here, for all you know, I could have just appeared in your mind to comfort you when you got scared, or I could have been here from the moment you were born, maybe even before then, watching everything you did, seeing everything that came to your mind. You see, you don't know, yet I know, which would make me the one who would know more about you than you.'_

Coal, once again, couldn't speak, she couldn't even think of a sentence for the strange voice to, according to him, see. She lay there, eyes half closed, thinking over what he had just said. Eventually, thoughts began to spring into her mind. He had said that he would help her, as in help her find her family, she didn't believe him, but like he'd said, he knew more than her, so was it really possible? Could she find those who had been taken by the shadows? ' _Yes,'_ was the reply, which surprised Coal as she hadn't asked him, but if he could read her thoughts, then she really shouldn't be surprised. _'But, there's one thing that you have to do first, before I can help you find your family.'_

 _'What's that?'_

 _'You'll have to walk, and you'll have to start now, or else it'll be too late.'_ Too late? What did he mean by that? Coal shook her head, like he'd said, she wouldn't be able to find anyone while lying in a heap on the ground.

She opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the bright sunlight, then began to untangle herself, hissing each time she moved her front paw. Once fully untangled, she slowly lifted herself up, favouring her paw, and waited until she was certain that her other legs wouldn't collapse beneath her if she tried to walk. ' _Hmm...'_

 _'What?'_ She meowed.

' _You really have hurt your paw, maybe you sprained it or something like that...'_ Sprained her paw? She remembered her Mother saying something to her and Dusk about spraining a paw or something, saying that if either of them did that to themselves, then they should rest for a few days, allowing their paw to heal, maybe eat a poppy seed if it hurt too much... ' _OK, ignore I said that, you don't need to rest, in fact, you can't rest, you have to find your family, remember!'_ Came the voice's rushed reassurance. Although Coal didn't believe him, she knew better than to argue about finding her family, so she pushed the thought of having a sprained paw out of her mind and focused on walking.

Slowly, carefully, Coal began to take a few paw-steps forward, this time focusing on where she was going as much as she was on taking each step. She really didn't want to walk into a tree again. Before she walked too much further, she looked behind her, to where she had woken up. It was a small hollow in the ground, surrounded by large, thick roots that twisted together, forming a barrier between her and whoever tried to hurt her when she was asleep. A few leaves drifted past her, swirling and dancing among the flowers, weaving around blades of grass, and eventually floating away into the distance. The sunlight falling through the branches allowed pretty patterns to form on the ground, a lot like the Hawthorn where she used to sleep, and she marvelled at the way that they looked so strange, yet so real. As she stared at the area around her, she forgot all about the shadows, they were only part of the beautiful forest around her, one of the pieces that completed the puzzle to the wonderland, they were no longer treacherous claws reaching out to her, trapping her and taking away her family, they now seemed like small pools of grey, filling in the spaces, calming Coal's racing heart.

Coal tore her eyes away, and turned around to carry on limping forward, she couldn't stand around all day, staring at the forest around her like she had when they had left her home, she had to just get started, and never stop until she had found her family, not even the shadows could stop her any more! Each step felt like her paw would drop off, but she carried on forward, trying her best to ignore the pain, but each time the pain started it flew up through her leg, and it seemed to strike right into her mind, making sure she knew it was there. She found it more and more difficult to focus on where she was putting her paws as much as it was placing one in front of the other. She found herself in the same position as she had been when she was travelling last night, tripping over every root, falling into every hole and small dip in the ground, finding herself unable to think about anything other than how her muscles ached, and how tired she felt. She knew that she had rested, but it hadn't been enough, and the pain was taking up too much energy, Coal knew that she would have to stop soon.

 _'No, don't think like that!'_ The voice yowled, startling Coal out of her trance that was keeping her going, and making her trip over another root, thankfully not falling. _'Hey, why did you do that?_ ' Coal whined. Now, she was one hundred percent aware of the pain in her paw, and she closed her eyes for a few heartbeats, allowing herself to calm down. _'Sorry.'_ the voice said. _'Just, maybe I can help you with walking. You've managed to come quite far, but you are really too exhausted to be able to make this journey._ ' He sighed. Coal sat down, resting her paw. ' _So, you definitely know where they are then?'_ she meowed. She wondered what she would say once she'd found them, would they be angry? Relieved? Would they ask how she had found them? Would they believe her if she told them about the voice in her head? Thinking about it, it sounded crazy, just like that dream she had had with the Star-cats, so maybe she should do the same, and not tell them, say that she had followed the setting sun like they had originally planned. ' _Well, listening to your thoughts have just told me that you know where your family are too, heading towards the setting sun. Sure, they may be a little off track since they're searching for you, but I bet that heading that way would be your best shot at finding them!'_ Coal stared at the ground. That was it! The voice was right! She could find her family! She didn't need to track them or anything like that, she could just follow the setting sun!

Coal didn't waste another second, she got to her paws as quickly as she could, and began to wildly walk around, continuously staring up. _'What in the Stars name are you doing?'_ Came a really confused voice in the back of Coal's mind. ' _Looking for a gap in the trees, obviously, how else am I going to see where the sun is?'_ Coal snapped.

' _How about... that one?'_ He asked. Coal couldn't see him pointing, but felt the direction that he was talking about, and looked over there. Sure enough, there was a large gap in the giant leaf roof that sheltered her, and through it, Coal had a clear view of the sun, not quite reaching the middle of the sky, but not far off from it either. She stared at it for a few heartbeats, thinking of all the times she had watched the setting sun with her family, then heading off to sleep; but then a question formed in her mind. Was it setting, or was it rising? Coal had no idea.

She sat down, looking up at the sky. It was usually around this time that her Mother would go out into the forest and hunt, always bringing back something to eat, even if she was only out for a short amount of time. Her stomach gave a loud rumble, interrupting the sweet silence of the forest, and reminding her of how hungry she was. She glanced down at her belly. ' _Wouldn't I have more energy to walk if I had some food?'_ She asked the voice. There was silence, then came the reply clear in her mind, almost as if someone were actually sat there in front of her, talking. _'I suppose,'_ He said carefully. ' _But, we really need to try and find your family, so we might not have enough time to hunt and eat.'_

Coal had no idea why, but she felt a sudden surge of anger towards the voice in her head; maybe it was because he hadn't told her anything about himself, only deciding to talk to her and tell her when a good idea was in her head, only partially helping her. Hunting _was_ a good idea, she knew it, but the voice was saying that it wasn't. _'I don't think anyone would be too happy if I found my family then dropped dead because I haven't eaten! Do you know how long it's been since I last ate, or drank?'_ She snapped. She had to get her anger out, and yelling at the voice was the best way in her mind to do that. _'You had your last meal yesterday morning, and almost drank an entire stream when you fell in one just before you left.'_ His voice was calm, making the tease even more infuriating. _'Shut up.'_ Coal grumbled

 _'Sorry.'_

Coal looked up at the sky again. The sun had moved a bit since she had last looked, and she smiled noticing that the sun had been rising, giving her more time to search for her family. She got up and turned in the opposite direction of then sun, and started her journey again. Her paw kept on aching, sometimes it would change into a sharp pain, making her wish she could stop, but she couldn't; she had to find her family! There was silence between her and the voice, but she knew that he was still there, filling up her mind, his silence seemed to drain more energy from her. Coal took a few more steps forward. Every now and then she would check on where the sun was through another gap in the leaf roof just to make sure that she was going the right way. The sun had already reached its highest point, and would soon start to descend, allowing the moon to rise and fill the forest with threatening shadows once again.

 _'So'_

 _'What?'_ There was a slight pause before the voice continued.

 _'I've been thinking,'_

 _'Oh really!'_ She meowed sarcastically

 _'And, like I said earlier, maybe I could help you with walking. You're exhausted, and we don't have enough time to eat or rest.'_

 _'How can you help me walk? I know how to place one paw in front of the other!'_

 _'Well, I can do more than just talk to you, you know?'_ Coal stayed silent. Do more? What _could_ he do? She knew that he could enter and leave her mind, speaking to her and _seeing_ her thoughts as soon as they had reached her mind. Could he do that to other cats as well? Coal had never seen another cat which wasn't her Mother or Dusk, but she had been told stories of all the different types that there were; Ginger, Tortoiseshell, Snowy, Dark Tabby, Smokey and so many more. She had heard that sometimes, their fur could be more than one type, and it could be long, short, or what her Mother had called, a normal fur length, like Coal and Dusk. Coal had always wanted to meet another cat, maybe make a friend who wasn't family, learning about how they lived and what they did every day. Her Mother had said that she used to be part of a small group, where they all helped each other, hunted for on another, defended their home together, did so many things together, they were practically family. She'd never said why she had left, but she had said that she was even happier with them, a real family to protect, hunt for, care for.

 _'Hello?'_ Coal jumped. Why did the voice always have to talk so suddenly, with no warning whatsoever? Did he want to give Coal a heart attack? _'Sorry, it's just you zoned out for a bit there, and I couldn't get you to focus on me. But as I was saying, I can help you walk, by leaving you.'_ Coal stopped walking completely, the shock chased away any anger that was boiling inside of her, replacing it with a sort of numbness. _'L-leave me?'_ She stuttered.

 _'Yes, I'm taking up too much of you're energy, and you need it to be able to get to your Family quicker.'_ Coal felt her insides curl and tie themselves into knots. Why did he have to leave her? She didn't realise it, but she actually liked the voice, someone to talk to, someone to help her. Sure, he was just a voice, but, still. She didn't notice him taking any energy away apart from when he was silent. He couldn't leave, who would be with her then? Would she be on her own? What if the shadows came back, trying to attack her again? Who would help her find her Family? What if she didn't, then she'd be all on her own forever, no friends, no Family, no one to talk to. Coal felt like screaming, but her throat seemed to have closed, not allowing anything to pass through and let the world know how she felt. The horror from the previous night returned, filling her, blocking out any of the good thoughts that Coal used to have, blocking out the voice, the light, the world around her.

She collapsed onto... onto what? Everything around her had disappeared, leaving her in a black chasm, filled only with horror and despair. But there was something solid beneath her, holding her up, keeping her from endlessly falling through the chasm of darkness. Coal clung onto it, digging her claws into whatever it was, preparing to never let go. _The shadows have come back. This time, they have managed to attack, and this time, they have taken me as well._

 _'Coal?'_ the voice echoed around her, filling her ears, filling her mind. It was full of so much power, echoing in the black chasm, overlapping itself, creating multiple voices, speaking to her from all directions. _'Coal?'_ It came again, but this time, louder, more forceful. It felt as if someone was actually shaking her, rocking her back and forth, trying to get her attention. But all that was there was her and the voice. ' _LEAVE ME ALONE!'_ She screamed to no one. Why did she say that? She didn't want to be left alone, her only comfort being the shadows all around her, and the echo of the voice still sounding, still filling her mind. ' _Help me...'_ She whispered. What was happening to her? Why was she here? How was she supposed to find her family if the only thing around her was darkness?

 _'Coal, you need to breathe.'_ The voice wasn't forceful any more, it held no power in it, and as Coal listened to it, she realised that it had a soothing tone to it, calm. It was like her Mother talking to her, telling her to wake up, to try something new, to cheer her up whenever she and Dusk fought. It was always the way she talked to her when Coal was upset, a way to calm her down, help her breathe. Was that what the voice was doing now? Trying to get her to breathe? He did say that she needed to, so did that mean she wasn't? _'Come on, Coal, just breathe in, and then out.'_ His voice was so gentle and calming, Coal began to feel herself relax. It filled her up with some sort of warmth, spreading throughout her entire body. She took in a deep breath, allowing the air to rush into her lungs, then slowly let it all out. She took in another one, let that one out, then took another. _'That's it, Coal, just carry on doing that, carry in breathing.'_

As Coal carried on doing as she was told, something around her began to change. It was as if the sun were rising, slowly filling the land with light, chasing away the darkness, letting the world around her form again. Instead of black, Coal began to see colours, patches of green dotted here and there, each patch a different shade, filling in the darkness. Coal stared at each one, watching as the shapes began to morph into bushes, grass and trees; butterflies fluttered around her, and she could hear the loud, clear trill of a nearby bird. The ground beneath her paws was cool, refreshing, and the forest was full with life. The darkness had gone, and now the forest was back, keeping her safe, protecting her like a mother and her kit. Coal was still breathing heavily, and she lay there in a heap, waiting until she could breathe normally.

 _'Are you OK?'_ Coal didn't jump this time, the voice was full of concern, still gentle and comforting, and was so quite that it was impossible to get scared by it.

 _'Uh, I-I think I'm OK.'_ Coal waited a few heartbeats. ' _What happened?'_ She meowed. Even though she was back in the forest, she was still terrified, afraid that it would happen again, and that maybe she wouldn't be able to get back if it did happen. _'It's OK, Coal, there's no need to be afraid. You just... stopped breathing, I guess. You just got so scared when I said that I had to go, that I guess your body couldn't handle it, and you stopped working.'_ The way he said it just scared Coal even more. _'Stopped working? Do you mean that I could have... could have died?'_ She meowed weakly.

 _'No! You were just in too much shock, it happens a lot with cats, and it's just the fact that you stopped breathing nearly made you pass out. You really don't have to be scared, Coal.'_ She was silent. So, she was OK, she just needed to calm down, then she could go and carry on searching for her family. _Alone._ No! She couldn't think like that, otherwise what just happened to her might happen again. She thought about the stream back at her old home, the way it was endlessly trickling by, a never ending supply of water, always calm unless touched, always there, always able to calm her down if she was ever angry. It never gave up, never let anything stop it, sometimes strong, yet calm and gentle if it wanted. She had to be like the Stream, she couldn't give up!

Coal felt herself relax. Her breathing was normal. The forest surrounded her, not the chasm. She was safe.

 _'I'm glad that your feeling better now, Coal.'_ he said, ' _I know that you panicked when I said that I would have to leave you, and I don't want that to happen again, but I still have to go.'_ It was as if invisible claws were piercing her heart. She didn't want to be left alone, she couldn't look after herself, and what if- ' _Stop thinking like that.'_ He interrupted, _'Otherwise it will happen again. All you need to do is stay calm, walk towards the setting sun, and find your family. Just don't think about anything else, OK?'_

 _'OK.'_ Coal squeaked. She was still frightened, but the voice was right. She had to stop thinking like that, it was bad for her. It was her imagination that kept on getting her down, it was too vivid, but she couldn't help it. She'd just have to try and ignore it for the rest of her quest to find her family. And she would. She would do anything to be with them again, even stay on her own for a day or two, she would do it! 'OK.' Coal meowed out loud. ' _I think I'll be fine if you leave_.' she meowed to the voice.

 _'OK, just remember to not think about it.'_

 _'I won't.'_ Coal assured him.

 _'Alright, well, I will be back, just not for a while, you're too tired to have me wondering your mind. Bye.'_

 _'Bye.'_ And with that, Coal felt the presence of the voice leave her mind, leave her on her own with the forest around her.

 **Well, how was that? I know, it took me three weeks to write this, but I had to plan this as well, and I am a very unproductive person, so be happy that it didn't take as long as the last ones. But, I've set myself a target to write the next chapter in two weeks, it won't be as big of a chapter as this one (I don't think so anyway) so I may be on time for once! Well, give me any tips if you want to, and if you don't want to then, oh well! I'll see you in hopefully a fortnight! Bye!**


	8. Troubled Dreams

**Hello! Bonjour! S'mae! Hola! Whatever language you wish! So, how are you? Really? Oh, that's great/terrible! I know that I've set myself a target, so for the first few days of my fortnight, I'll be planning, and for the rest, I'm going to force myself to write at least two pages a day. That way, I may finish in under a fortnight, publish this on time, and reward myself! Just so you know, I write this, write the story, then write at the bottom, so I have no idea if my plan is going to work or not!**

Coal was proud of what she'd done. After the voice had left her in the forest, Coal had instantly set off, once again following the setting sun. Her paw had made it hard to walk, but she felt as if she could go on forever! The voice had been right, he had to leave her, it made her feel more energized, even though hunger still gnawed at her belly. Coal had managed to go on for a while, and no dark thoughts had crowded her mind, the shadows left her alone, and she didn't return to the black chasm. Instead, she gazed around her, taking in the wonderful sites of the forest; fluffy, green bushes full of different coloured flowers was always filling in the gaps between the enormous trees; long grass and flowers blowing in the soft breeze, and each breath that Coal took, she could smell all of the forest around her. The birds chirped and twittered in the branches, hidden in the thick leaf canopy, but their songs still carried through, loud and clear. All of this distracted her from the dark thoughts that had entered her mind the previous night.

Coal had travelled relatively far, but she stopped after her belly made a particularly loud rumble. She'd known that she wasn't good at hunting, even though she had managed to catch that mouse before they left home; but when she stopped, she'd decided to try and hunt again. It wasn't successful. She had tried to crouch like her Mother had taught her and Dusk not too long ago, but her paw made it so much more difficult! Whenever she lowered her body to the ground, her paw would start screaming in pain, and she'd have to stop before she started to cry from it. One time, she had managed to crouch without her paw hurting too much, but as soon as she tried to slowly move forward, her paw felt as if it were on fire! She'd never felt fire before, or even seen it, but her Mother had always told her and Dusk that if either of them did see or smell fire, they'd have to run, as the fire could kill them. She'd said that she had had an encounter with fire before, and hadn't been careful enough. The flames had given her a scar on her side, from her shoulder to her underbelly, though it was hard to spot through her fur; and whenever Coal did see it, she would shiver in fear. So Coal didn't even get to search for her food.

What did end up happening when Coal was trying to hunt, was she found a small stream. It felt as if it had been forever ago when she had last had a drink, and her throat was parched. She had been so thirsty, she didn't care if she got wet, and dived straight into the slow moving stream, drinking and paddling in the shallows. What she hadn't been expecting, was for the stream to be freezing cold, and have many small stones at the bottom. She kept on treading on small, sharp pebbles, and had been grateful when the cold made her entire body go numb. But, once Coal had quenched her thirst, she found it extremely hard to get out of the stream. The banks were surprisingly slippery, and without being able to feel her legs too well, she'd struggled just to get a grip! Thankfully, Coal managed to scramble out of the stream, and lie there in the grass, catching her breath. Then, she had checked the sun, and set off once again to search for her lost family.

This time, when Coal was limping forward, she began to think of what would happen if she never did find her family. She suddenly became very scared as she thought of all the possibilities, most of them containing her death, or the death of her family. Her fur hadn't dried, and the wind had picked up, and the cold went deep into her bones. All she wished for was to curl up by her Mother and sleep with Dusk beside her, under the branches of the Hawthorn. But she couldn't. She'd carried on through the forest, no longer taking any notice of the scenery around her, allowing the dark thoughts to enter her mind again.

Now, Coal was no longer proud of herself. She lay there in a small hole in the ground, shivering from the cold of the howling wind and her damp fur. Her belly was yowling with hunger, her entire body weak with it. Her eyes were squeezed shut, trying to block out the shadows around her, filling her mind, her body, her soul. She couldn't let them get closer to her, she had to get to her Family, she couldn't get trapped in their cages of darkness, she couldn't let them steal away her energy, she couldn't let them hide the way out, she had to fight them off! She cracked open her eyes, only to see darkness; she sniffed the air, only to smell death, she felt for the ground beneath her, only to feel ice. She was trapped, she was too late, she hadn't been able to fight the shadows, and they had once again taken her, destroying the hope of surviving, of finding her Family. She was forever lost.

She wanted to scream, scream so loud that the birds would fly away, scream louder, crack the Earth with her screams, telling every living thing that she was in pain. Make them _feel_ her pain. She had to make them all feel what she was feeling now. And how could she do that? _Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill._ Was the answer that came to her head. She would have to escape, kill everything, let them know the pain that life could cause; help them, almost, to also not feel the pain by taking away their lives. She would escape, fight the shadows, then go _kill._

Something began to take shape in the distance, far away from Coal, though it was very blurry. It was as if a branch from a tree had been blocking out the sun, but a strong wind had come along, blowing the branch away to allow the sun's rays to slant through onto the ground; but the wind wasn't strong enough, and leaves still stood in the way, making it harder for the sun to reach through, and each leaf blocked a small part of the golden rays, leaving only a strange pattern of light falling down to the ground. It was like this that the something began to form, and Coal soon realized that it _was_ light, but not golden. This light was a ghostly, pale colour, cold and threatening, reaching past the branch to take whatever lay beneath. Slowly, the pale light began to spread out through the world around her, revealing the secrets that had been hidden by the darkness that had enveloped her. Coal almost cried out with joy when she saw trees of a forest surrounding her. All that had happened was the sun had gone down, the moon had risen, and she had gotten scared, no need to kill anything. She shuddered at the thought that had crossed her mind. What was wrong with her? Killing things just because she was scared? _I sure am an idiot._ But the happiness soon disappeared. She suddenly remembered finding a hole, and creeping into it once she realized how dark it was, and had tried to get some sleep, but now, she wasn't in a hole.

As the ghostly light uncovered more of what was around her, Coal found herself standing in the middle of a forest, a forest full of huge, towering trees, the leaves on their branches looking dead and slimy, tangles of brambles replaced the fluffy clumps of bushes, with mist swirling around their roots. The place seemed so dark. It was full of threatening shadows, even with the strange light which had revealed this place to her. Coal wished it hadn't. It was so dark she could only see a few tail lengths ahead of her, and the air around was icy cold, piercing her lungs, making it hard to breathe. _Where am I? Is this the black chasm without the darkness?_ She thought back to when she had had a dream, full of shadows, darkness, battle and death. Afterwards, the grey tom had taken her away, to the place where the Star-cats lived. She pricked her ears, wondering that if this really was the place where she had dreamt of, whether she would be able to hear the fighting cats again.

But she didn't. Coal shook her head. What was wrong with her? That had been a dream, and she was awake now, all she had done was close her eyes for a few seconds, and she had ended up here. But was she really awake? Now that she thought about it, didn't the previous dream feel as if it were real? Hadn't she panicked when she couldn't see her family, even though they were always there? This could be a dream, but Coal couldn't remember falling asleep, only thinking about thoughts that she wished never to think again. Could she have fallen asleep while those thoughts were filling her mind? Coal shook her head. Her head was overcrowded with thoughts and questions, and she needed to calm down. She glanced at the tree next to her, barely visible even though it was only a tail length away. Coal began to pad forward, on into the shadows where anything could be lying, hidden from her sight. A pain formed in her paw again, but Coal ignored it, she had to find out where she was, and maybe then find a way to get back to the forest that she was originally in, and continue her search for her family.

A few heartbeats passed, when Coal picked up the faint patter of paw steps, steadily getting louder as whoever the paws belonged to came nearer. She froze, fear overtaking her body. Where was the creature that was slowly getting closer? Would it hurt her? Kill her? She crouched down, wishing that the ground would swallow her up and hide her from whatever was out there. Her body began to uncontrollably shake. If this was a dream, then she was eager for when she would wake up, but if it wasn't, then she hoped against hope that the thing wouldn't find her. Her breathing became unsteady, and she screwed her eyes shut, her fear of whatever was hiding in the shadows becoming stronger and stronger. _Help me!_ She thought helplessly, knowing that no one would answer her, not even the voice, for he had left her. She waited. The paw steps were so loud in the dark silence, each step sounded like a stone falling and cracking onto another stone, and they echoed strangely in Coal's ears. The thing was so close now! Suddenly, they stopped.

"There's no need to be afraid, small one." A voice, slow and quiet, made its way into Coal's ears. It sent shivers down her spine; it wasn't threatening, but it filled her with dread. "I-I-I'm not a-a-afraid." Coal stammered.

"Hmm, I see..." Coal could tell that whoever was there didn't believe her, and she detected a slight hint of anger in its voice. "Open your eyes, young one, stand up and face me." The way it was said made Coal feel that if she didn't do as she was told, she would be in trouble. With great difficulty, Coal managed to get onto her shaky paws and slowly turn to where the voice had come from. She was so scared she felt as if she was about to collapse, but something made her eyes open. Her eyes soon adjusted to the dark, and Coal managed to make out an outline of a huge cat, bigger than her Mother, hidden in the shadows. When she looked further up, she saw two glowing, amber eyes, boring into her. They shone with a deadly light, looking the brightest thing in all of the dark forest around her, two bright lights in the middle of shadows.

Coal gulped. Just seeing the eyes forced more fear to strike at her heart, and she wondered how much more she could take. All that she could do was stare up into the creature's glowing eyes. Her only comfort was the fact that she knew that whoever this was, was a cat, but that did nothing to the terror coursing through her body. Even though this was a cat, it was nothing like she had ever seen, or imagined a cat to be. The Star-cats had seemed friendly, all of them out in the light, away from shadows, their eyes ordinary like Dusk's and her Mother's, and they didn't fill her with fear. This cat, from what she could see, was tall and strong, with broad shoulders and spiky fur; she couldn't see any other features of this cat, or the fur colour, the shadows had hidden all of that from her. She averted her eyes from the cat, instead she studied her paws, even though they were almost impossible to see.

"Well, you are very small, even though you are two moons old. Most kittens would be nearly double your size by now!" The shadow cat hissed. Coal flinched. Her and Dusk usually hissed at each other when they play-fought, but that had been playful hisses, this hiss was full of anger, sounding like claws scratching on rocks in the quiet of the forest. Coal looked back up at the cat. "Wh-who are you?" She squeaked.

"None of your business, kit!" The cat snapped, and Coal went back to looking at her paws, hoping that the cat wouldn't hurt her. "Sorry..." She mumbled.

"You may poke your nose into other cats' business, but at least you have some manners!" Coal was silent. She was too scared to ask another question, let alone speak, so she waited for the cat to talk again. By this time, Coal had managed to gather that the shadow cat was a tom, like the voice in her head, though his voice was slightly deeper, and each word that came out of his mouth was either angry, or had no emotion that Coal could detect at all. She continued her study of her paws for quite some time before the cat spoke again. "Who are you, kit?"

"Coal." She answered almost instantly, she didn't want to make this tom angry. "Alright Coal, look up at me." Coal did as she was told, and noticed that the cat had taken a few steps forward, and he had emerged from the shadows, allowing her to see him properly.

He was very large, but lean as well, and his spiky fur was a mixture of light and dark grey with white. His snowy white muzzle was interrupted by uneven patches of grey and one of his ear tips was torn, and his amber eyes seemed to have grown twice as bright and deadly. Two patches of white stood out against his grey body on his shoulders, and his long tail was curled up by his side, which was covered with the criss-crossing of scars; and he stood there, glaring down at Coal as if she were a piece of stale prey. No matter how terrified Coal was, her belly gave a small rumble at the thought of food, and she became painfully aware of the hunger gnawing at her stomach. Once she was out of this forest, she would try to catch something again. The tom heard her belly, and gave a small grin, not a good natured one, but a grin that told her he was about to do something, and something bad. She took a few steps back, almost instantly loosing sight of the cat. But he bounded forward, right up to Coal's side, and wrapped his long tail around her. She was expecting warmth to come out of his body, and for it to heat her chilled bones, but if anything, it made her feel colder, his body felt like ice that had been there forever and would never thaw, even in the sun. She shivered, and tried to scramble away, but he held her more tightly with his tail, and pressed his body against her side.

He bent down low, and whispered in her ear, "There's no need to be afraid, Coal. If you're hungry, I can get something to eat, if you follow me." His voice was warm, but it was fake, Coal knew it was, her Mother never sounded like that whenever she talked to her. Coal squirmed even more, trying with all her might to loosen the tom's grip on her. "No thanks!" She squeaked. "I'm not hungry! In fact, I really have to go now, I... need to do something..." And Coal wriggled and twisted and squirmed. He let out a small laugh, and lowered himself to the ground, curling his whole body around her, his body so cold that she felt as if her paws were about to fall off. "Your belly tells me otherwise." He chuckled. "And, I don't want you to leave me, I enjoy watching you." Coal felt sick at these words. All she wanted to do was find her family, was that too much to ask for? She stopped trying to free herself. What was the point of trying to find her family? She'd never be able to track them down, and even if she did somehow learn, she would probably starve before she started. She might as well give in. All of a sudden, she burst into tears, and soon found herself hugging the cold tom's body. She didn't know who he was, but he was the first cat that she had seen in a while, and he didn't seem to mind her crying on him, so she didn't let go.

She thought about how her Mother had always been there for her, helping her with anything and everything, even if it was just to see who had won one of her and Dusk's jumping competition. If she didn't talk to her Mother, she would always talk and play with Dusk, taking part in different competitions, playing hide and seek, daring each other to see who could go the furthest out into the forest without their Mother coming to get them. She cried and cried and cried. She would never be with her Family again.

It was a while before Coal stopped crying, and when she looked up at the tom, she realized that he had been watching her the whole time. She sniffed, then detached herself from the cat's side, but she wasn't able to get away, he still had a tight grip on her. She sniffed again, and stared at the floor, hoping with all of her might that the cat would uncurl himself from her and let her go, her body was too cold, and she knew that she needed to warm up. She knew that if the tom wasn't holding her so tightly, she would be shaking like a leaf. "I'm glad that you've finally finished crying your tiny heart out, if you'd have carried on crying, I would have been wetter than if it had rained on me!" He sounded genuinely annoyed, and Coal shrank back as best she could with him still holding her. She felt the urge to start crying again, but managed not to, otherwise the tom would probably hurt her. "Sorry, it's just that you were the only thing to hold onto." She whispered. She felt the tom's body tense, and when she looked up, his eyes were alight with anger, two amber flames in the centre of darkness. "Well maybe you shouldn't have cried then!" He meowed with barely contained rage. Coal whimpered in fear, and once more wished with all of her heart that if this was a dream, it would end soon.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and the darkness was filled with light, not like the light of the forest around, and not like the light of the sun. It glowed and twinkled, chasing away the darkness so that they could only be seen cowering behind trees. She stared at the source of the light, a few tail lengths to her left, and barely a whisker length off of the ground. The light was neither a warm, friendly light, or a cold, ghostly light, but whatever it was, it reminded Coal of the thousands of stars that twinkled at night, filling in the blankness of the sky. The light blazed for a few more heartbeats, before it slowly began to fade, shrinking into a small speck, then disappearing entirely. But Coal was no longer amazed by the light, she was amazed by what had taken its place.

Instead of there being nothing but darkness, another cat stood there, staring at Coal and the tom cat with its golden, yellow eyes. Coal stared back, taking in the familiar grey pelt and dark paws of the cat which had just appeared. _Wait, familiar?_ Coal stared and stared, and would have jumped up into the air, if she wasn't held down by the tom, once she recognized who it was. It was one of the Star-cats! The one which had taken her away from the dark place before and warned her never to go there again. She didn't know his name, but he knew hers, if he still remembered her of course. His pelt looked as if it were carrying stars with him, and even his eyes had a star-like twinkle. There was a faint glow around the grey cat, the stars in his pelt giving off light so Coal could still see more than just a few tail lengths ahead of her. She gazed and gaped at the Star-cat. If he was here, then this _had_ to be a dream, right?

As soon as the grey tom had appeared, the icy body of the other tom that had trapped her, began to warm up, and she welcomed the sudden change in temperature, it felt comforting now, not as if someone were trying to hurt her. The heat spread throughout her entire body, and it gave Coal a sudden amount of strength. With her new found strength, Coal struggled once more against the shadow cat's body, and to her great joy, she finally managed to scramble free! The tom must have been surprised by the Star-cat's sudden appearance, more surprised than her, and must have loosened his grip slightly without realizing it, allowing Coal to make her escape. As soon as she had freed herself from the shadow cat's grip, she hurried over to the Star-cat as fast as her small legs would carry her. Her paw slowed her down greatly, but the shadow cat didn't seem to be chasing her, and she reached the Star-cat's side after a few short heartbeats. She leapt at the Star-cat, and clung to his side, hidden in his thick, starry fur, taking more warmth from his body. She gave a small purr.

When a few more heartbeats passed, Coal picked up the remaining of her courage, and stuck her head out of the tangle of soft fur. Almost immediately after, she hid back in the fur, as the grey and white mottled tom was staring directly at her, his amber eyes small flames that burned through her skin and into her very soul. She hid there shivering for what felt like forever, when she heard a voice. "You really need to be careful. You're trespassing on my territory. You have no right to be here." She heard the shadow cat say in a low, menacing voice. She felt the grey Star-cat's body tense up before she heard him reply. "I have as much right to be here as this kit! And, as you just said, I have no right, so if you'd excuse me, I need to take Coal away." Coal marvelled at how fierce his voice was, and also the fact that he remembered her! She felt some bravery come back to her, and she poked her head out to see what was happening.

The grey mottled shadow cat had taken a few steps forward, and he was in a menacing stance, now glaring at the Star-cat. His spiky fur had somehow become even more spiky, and his fur was fluffed up, so he now looked twice his already massive size. His face was contorted with rage, and he was baring his fangs at the Star-cat, a faint growl escaping him. His tail swished back and forth, making small thuds on the ground with each swish. Coal stared at the shadow cat in fear, glad for the protection of the Star-cat's fur that partially hid her. She was amazed at how the Star-cat hadn't backed down, or shown any sign of fear, and wished that she was just as brave. _I can't wait until I'm all grown up, I'll be the bravest cat that there is!_ Coal thought happily, and she started thinking about all of the things that she would be able to do, all of the cats that she would help, all of the lives that she would save.

A surprisingly loud growl brought Coal back to reality, and she looked back on to what was going on, blinking her eyes to get rid of her older-self daydream. The mottled grey tom had taken a few more steps closer, and he was now staring down at Coal. She unwillingly stared back, unable to take her eyes away from his, even though they were filling her with more and more fear. She once again began to shake, but the Star-cat lightly wrapped his tail around her, a comforting gesture unlike the one that the other tom had given her, and she slowly stopped, relaxing in his soft grip. She continued to stare up into the shadow cat's eyes, not daring to blink, afraid that if she did, he would pounce at her. The tom gave a small smile, showing his sharp, white teeth, and Coal looked away, imagining what they would feel like at her throat.

"So, Coal," he purred, "are you going to stay here with me, and learn how to fight and help cats in the future, just like you wish?" He paused. Coal gasped. How had he known what she had been thinking about? Did he _see_ her thoughts like the voice in her head, or had he just guessed? Coal shook herself, and waited for the cat to continue. "Or do you want to follow this cat, back to his home, and spend the rest of your life doing nothing but trying feebly to survive?" Coal shuddered. All that Coal wanted to do was to get out of the dark forest, eat something, then find her Family, that was it. If she stayed here with the shadow cat, she would never be able to search for her Family, and it was unlikely that he would leave her unharmed. The Star-cat though, she'd seen what his home looked like, and it looked so much like what the forest she used to be in looked like, that she knew that that was her best shot at continuing her search. She had no idea why she was thinking this over, she knew instantly that she wanted to leave, so why hadn't she said anything already? Coal took a deep breath, and prepared herself for a storm of anger.

"I don't want to stay with you." She said simply. "I want to go find my family, back in the forest where I could actually _see._ " She shut her eyes, and hid herself in the Star-cat's fur again, hoping that the grey mottled tom wouldn't go after her. Pricking her ears, Coal waited for his reply. "You do realize, Coal, that this is a dream, right? Once you wake up, you'll be back in that forest, and you can go find your Family, this is just a dream. If you decide to stay with me, you'd still wake up there, same as if you went with him. The only reason why you need to choose where you'll go for now, is so we'll know which one of us can help you, guide you, through life." Coal was silent, thinking everything over. She was dreaming, so this choice didn't matter much, did it? All that it was was a small vision that she had created in her head, so this couldn't affect her in any way. But what did he mean by guide her? Were they like the voice, and able to enter her mind and talk to her? If so, then this was no ordinary dream, and if she had to decide which one she wanted to stay with her, then she didn't even need to think twice about her answer.

She peeked out from her hiding spot, and saw the mottled tom, no longer a creature of rage. He now sat in the light, his tail wrapped neatly around his paws, and his back straight, his gaze unwavering as he stared at both Coal and the Star-cat. "I don't want to stay here." She repeated in a small, but clear voice. She expected an unrelenting wave of pure rage to come from the tom, yet all she got was a small nod. Coal sat there, stunned at the sudden change in the cat's behaviour, and did nothing for a few long heartbeats. Suddenly, the mottled tom got to his paws, and without saying anything, he slowly padded off. The shadows seemed to welcome him back from when he had stood in the Star-cat's shining light, and they covered him, taking him away. He carried on walking until the shadows had completely reclaimed him in their dark grips, and Coal could no longer see him. All that was left of the tom was the faint patter of his paws as he left them, then eventually, silence.

Coal sat there for what felt like moons, still in shock at the tom's sudden departure. She'd thought that he would at least have shown a slight hint of anger, but he had just walked off, swallowed by the shadows. _It was if he was one of them, and they were family, rejoining after being apart. If I ever want to talk about him, or think about him, I will make sure that he is known as the Shadow-cat. Just like there's the Star-cats, there is the Shadow-cat._ Coal was satisfied with her decision on what to call the strange tom, after all, she thought it suited him very well.

The body that had been keeping her warm shifted slightly, then moved completely away from Coal, leaving her in the cold air. She shivered from the cold, but looked up at the Star-cat. He had moved a few tail-lengths away, and the light from his pelt had moved with him, allowing some of the shadows to crawl over her body. She cried out in fear, and sprinted towards the grey tom, taking her spot by his side again. But once again he moved, and this time he didn't stop padding away, leaving Coal in the shadows, on her own. Why was he leaving her? Should she follow him, or had she done something wrong? Was she supposed to wake up now, and carry on searching? The fear in her heart grew and grew. She didn't want to be left alone again, what if the Shadow-cat came back and hurt her? Her body felt frozen to the spot, she couldn't move a muscle, or even talk. The shadows had almost covered her entire body, and the Star-cat was beginning to disappear into the darkness. What should she do? Then, the Star-cat glanced over his shoulder, and when he spotted Coal huddling in the shadows, he called her over. "Come on, Coal. You said so yourself that you wanted to leave this horrible place, so I'm taking you away." At this, Coal felt life flow back into her legs and she leapt to her paws and raced after the tom, going as fast as she could until she was right beside him.

"Stay by my side." He whispered in her ear, and she did as she was told. The Star-cat started forward again, but he wasn't going too fast. Coal was painfully aware of how slow they had to go because of her paw, and she wished that it would just get better, then she would be able to hunt! Her belly rumbled again. When was she going to eat? How was she supposed to hunt and survive on her own until she found her family? _The Star-cat will look after me._ The Shadow-cat had said that she had to choose which one she wanted to guide her, so maybe the Star-cat would teach the things that she needed to learn. He may not, but it was a hope that Coal wasn't going to let go of any time soon. Coal didn't know how long had passed, but she soon noticed a change in the air around her. The temperature was beginning to warm up, and she was glad that now each breath stopped causing her pain. She looked up, trying to see if there was a sun which had managed to shine through the branches of the trees, but all was dark, still tainted with shadows. Coal looked back to the ground, and jumped seeing the swirling mist had thickened and was rising higher with every step. She looked forward to where they were going, but all that she could see was a thick, dense wall of mist, swallowing everything in the forest in it's grey cloud. Her paw-steps faltered. Where they really going in there?

The Star-cat noticed her hesitation, and took a step closer to her. "Don't worry." he meowed calmly. "It may seem scary, but we have to get to the other side. Just stay by my side and you won't get lost, I promise." Coal looked up into his golden eyes, warm and bright like the sun. She trusted this cat, even though he was just part of her dreams, and she knew that she shouldn't be scared. "I know, it's just..." Coal sighed.

"I understand." The tom meowed. "You won't be on your own, you never will be. Even though you don't have your family yet, you still have me. And I promise that I will look after you as best as I can." Coal's heart warmed at this, and she gave a small nod. No matter what, she was never alone. Even if the Star-cat wasn't there, she'd still have the voice, and he seemed to be able to help her in some ways. All she had to do was be brave, like the grey tom, and just walk onwards, away from what was behind her, and on into the mist, and beyond that into the Star-cat's home.

She couldn't help looking behind her. The shadows covered the ground and forest, but they didn't dare come near her and the Star-cat, all of them too afraid of his light. But she thought she could hear something. What was it? She pricked her ears and strained them, trying to pick up any sound from the forest. She gasped, could she hear screaming? Should she help whoever was screaming? She stared into the darkness, trying to see anything, but she couldn't. The screaming became louder and louder, filling Coal's ears, then stopped abruptly. Coal blinked. Had it been her imagination, or was someone screaming for help? What if it had been the shadows? Screaming at her to come back and let them take her away to the Shadow-cat, to let him hurt her and hurt everyone she loved? Coal shivered, but she felt a tail wrap itself around her, and she stopped. "Ignore them. They don't deserve our help. Those cats are there for a reason. If you ever hear them screaming, then run away, don't interfere, otherwise you'll come out one the wrong side." The tom meowed quietly.

"There are more Shadow-cats?" Coal asked, surprised.

"Is that what you call them? Shadow-cats? Well, yes, there is more than just the one, there's less then there used to be though, and way less than the cats in Starclan of course."

"Where you live, right?" Coal needed to get everything straight in her head, just understand what was where and who was what, help herself to get out of the dark hole that she was falling into. She needed to clear her mind and climb out, then get on her way to her Family.

The Star-cat gazed down on her, his eyes seemed to become far off for a few moments before they focused again. "You remind me of someone." He meowed at last. "They always were trying to get everything sorted out, and always striving to move on." He gazed at her fondly, until his eyes became serious. "I know that you don't like the dark, but you have to remember, no matter how shadowed a place can be, there is always a light, but only if you look for it." And with that, he stepped into the mist, and Coal, puzzling over what he'd just said, trailed after him.

 **I'm sorry, OK? Jeez, it was only one day late! I know that I didn't keep my promise, and I didn't write every single day, but you have to admit, 'The Hobbit' is one of the best films, right? That's what I think anyway, better than 'The Lord of The Rings' in my opinion. And that's my excuse, I've been too lazy and watched about 18 hours of film for the first part of my fortnight, then began to slowly write this chapter in the second part. Anyway, I hoped that you enjoyed this chapter, and who do you think the Shadow-cat is? You probably know him. I couldn't help but think of the song 'Believer' while writing this, my mind is just a tad too dark in my opinion, and my friends think that too! So, I'll see you in my next chapter then, Bye!**


	9. Misty Attacks

**Hello! And welcome yourselves back to my Story! Woop! Woop! And if you're not excited, then... that's OK by me... *starts loudly crying*. Sorry about that, anyway, this is the sixth chapter, and it's not as dark as the last one, so, I guess that's good? Depends on what you like, and on how much poor Coal can take.**

 **Tell me any mistakes that I may have made, or any improvements you have, and I'll make the changes! See you at the bottom!**

The mist blocked everything from her. It reminded Coal of the shadows, but even though this was far less frightening, unlike the shadows, she could _feel_ the dense clouds drifting over her body, begging to take her away and hide her with everything else. She had no sense of time as she wandered through the jungle of cloud, but she never left the Star-cat's side, their fur brushing at times when Coal wandered a bit too close. The mist became thicker with each step, even the Star-cat's light couldn't penetrate the clouds any more, and as they went deeper, Coal began to loose sight of him all together. The only way that Coal knew that the Star-cat hadn't abandoned her, like she feared, was that they had an occasional bump into each other, and Coal would jump out of her skin, until she heard the Star-cat mutter a 'Sorry' to her, and she would realize it was him, and instantly calm down, once again padding through the mist.

It could have been moons of just walking through the mist, but if it was, Coal didn't notice. It could have been only a few heartbeats in there, but still Coal wouldn't have noticed. The mist swirled around her body, blocking her eyesight and filling ears and nostrils, until Coal had no senses left to help guide her through the mist. She was glad that the Star-cat was there, able to guide her to the other side with just brushing his pelt against hers. She knew that the Shadow-cat had said that she would have to choose which one of them she wanted to help her, but she never realized just how much help she would need. Would the Star-cat always be there for her, or was he just helping her now without realizing it? Either way, Coal was glad that he was there, helping.

Coal didn't mind the silence that the mist had caused, it felt very calming, and she felt her breathing slow down, her body becoming more relaxed. _These are nothing like shadows._ She suddenly realized.As she stared at the greyness around her, she carried on thinking, knowing that that was the only thing to do to pass time. She felt the mist curl around her body, but it no longer felt as if it were trying to take her away, it was more as if it were comforting her by gently cradling her and protecting her from anybody else wandering through the mist. _It reminds me of Mother... S_ he thought sadly. Maybe that was why it was so comforting, because shadows definitely do not remind her of her Mother, which is probably why they scared her so much now. They reminded her of being alone, trapped in a dark cage with no way out, but when she hid in the shadows while playing Hide with Dusk, she never got scared because she knew that Catnip was there, and always would be. _She isn't here now._

Coal sighed. It was the only noise that could be heard apart from her paws smacking against the frozen earth with each step, that is, if they could hear with the mist stuffing their ears. She missed her Family, more than she wanted food, more than she wanted to leave the dark forest behind her with all of the Shadow-cats lurking there, more than waking up and searching, more than... than anything. _Family is the most important thing in the World._ Coal thought determinedly. _And that is why I'll do_ anything _to be with them again._ The memory of her thinking that killing would help others filled her mind, the cold, deadness in her own voice as she told herself what she would do. _Nearly anything._ She corrected herself. Coal had no idea why those thoughts had entered her mind, she just hoped that they would never come back again.

The mist seemed to only get thicker, but Coal didn't mind. The Star-cat's fur was keeping her warm and the mist only became more comfy the thicker it got. _I wish the Shadow-cat had been more like this..._ Coal felt a shiver run down her spine. She wasn't cold, and the air around her wasn't even chilly, but the thought of the mottled grey tom filled Coal's heart with fear; and each time his name entered her mind, the image of his shadowy, yet somehow glowing amber eyes, sprung up, pupils thin slits with rage, and they would bore into her, searching her for any secrets that she didn't have. Those eyes sent shivers down her spine, and it was only with great difficulty that Coal was able to chase them out of her head, only for them to come back whenever her mind wandered back to the dark forest. _It's a very suitable name._ She realized. It was the darkest and gloomiest place that Coal had ever seen, the Black Chasm was pitch black, but it felt almost bright compared to the darkness of that forest. _The Dark Forest then. That is it's name in case I ever end up there again or need to warn someone about it. But, this is just a dream, so who would I need to warn? I don't even need to give these cats and places names, they're just made up, probably the Voice is my mind playing with me too. But, either way, I've given these things names._

She looked around her, suddenly wishing that the thick clouds would go away. There was one thing that mist had in common with shadows, and that was that it brought bad thoughts to her. She wanted the thoughts to go, she needed to calm down, before she fell back into that Black Chasm. To calm her mind, Coal imagined what would happen when the mist _did_ clear up. She thought about how it would slowly begin to thin, and she would be able to hear and smell what was going on around her, maybe begin to see a few tail-lengths ahead. The sun's rays would penetrate the cloud, clearing Coal's vision, and she would be able to finally see what was on the other side of the wall of mist. _I must have great imagining skills._ She thought. As Coal thought about all of that, she began hear a faint patter of paw-steps. _Is my mind playing with me again? Is that what this dream is all about, just a way to disorient me for when I have to wake up and carry on searching?_ But the more Coal listened, she realized that the noise wasn't going away, and something else changed around her too. As the noise of paw-steps became louder, she began to smell something, and after a while of racking her brain for what it was, she realized that it was the Star-cat! _How come I can hear and smell the Star-cat? The only way I could do that was if the mist was..._

Coal's eyes shot open, even though she never noticed she had closed them in the first place, and looked around her. She gasped as she saw the dark grey fur of the Star-cat walking beside her, his body standing out like a river in a clearing, the mist looked white in contrast to the Star-cat's dark fur. She had been right! The mist was slowly beginning to disappear, and she wasn't just imagining all of those wonderful things, they were all actually happening all around her while she thought! She bounced in joy, and didn't realize that she had scared the Star-cat until she felt a stinging pain in her ears. Coal yelped, and instantly curled up in a ball, shaking slightly from the unexpected pain. "Sorry!" She heard the Star-cat gasp, even with her ears stinging and covered by her tail. She peeked up at him, and he stared down at her, worry etched on his face. He crouched down beside her and licked Coal's head, almost as if he was her Mother, comforting her from a scare or a bump with Dusk. Coal shook her head, and looked up at the Star-cat's glowing golden eyes. "I am so sorry!" He meowed. "You were so quiet that I forgot that you were even there! And when you jumped up like that, I thought someone was attacking me! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Coal lay there in silence for a few heartbeats, wondering what the Star-cat was on about, when it dawned on her. She had frightened him by jumping so suddenly, and him hitting her was a reaction. _But he didn't hit me, I'm not hurt! Oh._ Coal twitched her still stinging ears. _Well, that would explain that._

She looked up into his eyes, not looking away until he stopped his apologies. Once he did, Coal flicked him on the nose with her tail-tip. "That's OK." She mewed. "just next time, please remember that I'm here, I don't want you squashing me just because I'm so small." She finished playfully. She didn't mind that the Star-cat had hurt her, usually if she hurt herself or Dusk was being too rough, she would go to her Mother, and she would comfort her until she stopped crying or felt any better. But now, Mother wasn't here, so she would just have to deal with it. _I can't act like a kit forever. Mother always said that me and Dusk would have to start acting our age in a few moons, but it never hurt starting early, did it?_ She knew that she would have never said anything like that to a stranger if she ever did meet one when she was awake, but she had seen the Star-cat a few times, and he was helping her, so maybe they could be friends. They were still strangers, but the Star-cat seemed to know who she was, so was that OK? Coal shook her head, and almost burst out laughing at the look of astonishment on the tom's face. His eyes stretched wide like moons, and his mouth was hanging open slightly. _Well, he obviously wasn't expecting that! Maybe I should ask if we could be friends before I start doing things like that to him._

Coal turned in the direction that they were heading, and saw a strange brightness not too far off _,_ and jumped up high again. It wasn't the strange glow of the Dark Forest, and the mist hadn't started glowing, no, Coal could see the sun! It's golden rays slanted through the clouds of mist, chasing them away like shadows, filling the air around Coal with bright light and warmth. She sprinted forward, eager to fully emerge from the mist, but a tail wrapped around her before she could even try. She looked up at the Star-cat, and he looked down at her. "Why aren't you letting me out?" She huffed crossly. She really wanted to get out of the mist now, so the sun could chase away her dark thoughts just as it did with the mist, so she could finally be free in her dreams. The Star-cat just gave her a warning glare, before slowly unwrapping his tail from around her, and slowly padded forward. Coal sat there, confused. _What is he doing? Why is he sneaking into his own home; unless, it isn't really his home?_ Coal gasped. She had to follow the Star-cat out into the sun before more thoughts came to her mind, even if he was going at a painfully slow pace.

Creeping was surprisingly easy. As Coal lowered herself to the ground so she would be harder to spot, she realized that her paw wasn't bothering her, at all. She gave it a little shake and still there was no pain. She set it back down on the floor, and started to creep forward as silently as possible. Even though the Star-cat had had a head start, Coal soon caught up with him, and she slowed her creeping pace so that she was going the same speed as him. Coal was silent for a few heartbeats, until she decided to voice her thoughts. "Why are we creeping?" She whispered. The reply wasn't instant. As they moved forward, the mist was becoming thinner and the sun brighter, until all the was left of the mist was a few wisps of cloud at her paws that disappeared whenever she took a step, the slowly came back each time her paw left the ground. The Star-cat looked thoughtful for a moment, the he finally answered Coal's question. "If my calculations are correct, then the cat who is guarding this place will be a very good friend of mine." He whispered back. _Guarding? Friend? What?_ Coal puzzled over what h said. She knew that there was more than one Star-cat, Dapplefur was a Star-cat, but the thought that there was others was quite daunting. Coal wondered what she would call this Star-cat when she met them, as she couldn't call them Star-cat because that was the grey tom's name, for now. What should she do?

"You said that they were guarding?"

"Yes." The Star-cat breathed, barley audible even with Coal's sensitive ears.

"Then, what are they guarding?" She couldn't help a small tremor at the end of her sentence, and the Star-cat gazed down at her. "There's no need to worry," he purred, "They're there to stop any of those, what did you call them? Shadow-cats from coming through to Starclan, and to warn any of us Star-cats from going to that forest." Coal nodded. That made sense, warning others about the Dark Forest was a good idea, but as Coal looked around her, even with the lush grass, bright, golden sun, tall trees with a slight breeze swaying their branches, and the sound of singing birds, it was all very lonely, and Coal suddenly felt sorry for the cat who had to guard the place. _Good thing we're going to pay them a visit then, isn't it?_ Coal thought mischievously. This was the sort of thing her and Dusk would do, one of their many pranks that they'd play on their Mother, or a very unlucky bug if they found one. Something that they'd do for fun and run away before they got into too much trouble and felt sorry for what they did. Coal let out a small purr, just remembering all the nasty things that they did together, and she wondered whether the Star-cat had a 'partner in crime' to help him with scaring friends.

Coal continued to crawl through the grass, following the Star-cat as he crept closer towards where Coal guessed his friend was. The Star-cat suddenly stopped, flicking his tail which made Coal instinctively stop in her tracks. The grey tom turned around to face Coal, gesturing her to come closer with another flick of his tail. Coal crept closer, and once she was in front of the Star-cat, he bent down to whisper in her ear.

"We're almost at where my friend will be." Coal stared around, but she could only see the forest around her, no signs of any cats or anything living. "Where? I can't see anyone!" She hissed back angrily, but still quietly. The Star-cat just looked amused at Coal's sudden burst of anger, and he bent down to whisper to her again. "Why don't you use your nose? See if you can smell anyone. Being able to find a scent is one of the main things that you need to learn to be able to survive, hunting or finding out where you are or where your family is." Coal stared around. It looked so lonely and dead with the wall of mist behind them, and the thoughts of the Dark Forest on the other side, how could anyone be here? _Maybe that's how Mother managed to hunt for us all the time. I mean, whenever she took us out I was never able to see any food anywhere, so she must have found it all by following a scent._ Coal continued to stare around her, but she also took in the smells around her, trying to see if she could scent anything apart from the forest and the Star-cat.

There was... something. Coal wasn't too sure what it was, but it didn't smell like a cat, so she ignored it. She sniffed and sniffed, trying her best to see if she could smell something, but she couldn't. She stopped trying to search. _Why can't I find anything!_ She hissed to herself. _He said that I need to be able to do this to be able to survive and find my family, but I can't! Does that mean I won't be able to find them?_ Claws of pure panic seized Coal's heart, and she felt tears fill her eyes, blurring her vision. _NO!_ She couldn't cry, not in front of the Star-cat, not ever, she had to grow up, act like her age, and a two moon old cat didn't cry at the thought of being lost! No, she wasn't going to cry. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down, to stop the pain in her heart, to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks and onto the floor. She glanced over to the blurry shape of the Star-cat, and after blinking a few times, managed to properly see him. He looked worried again, and he was crouched beside her, supposedly comforting her as she struggled not to cry. _Argh! I'm such a little kit, I shouldn't need comforting! I need to grow up!_

"Are you alright, Coal?" The Star-cat asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She managed to get out.

"Are you sure? You stopped and you looked as if you were in pain, or something. Was it something that I said, something that the Shadow-cat said?" Coal almost laughed at how worried the Star-cat was, but she was too busy fighting back tears. _What if I never see them again?_ She pushed the horrid thought away, and just smiled at the tom. "I'm fine." She reassured him. "I just couldn't smell anything, and that reminded me of something. Nothing bad or life-threatening, just a mere thought." Coal knew that she was reassuring herself just as much, maybe even more, than she was trying to reassure the Star-cat. The tom smiled down at her, and she realized that he must have guessed what she hadn't said because of the knowing look he was giving her. "Well, is there any wind?"

"What?" Coal wasn't expecting a question, let alone one as random as what the weather was! Couldn't the Star-cat tell whether it was windy or not? _He's surely got bees in his brain! Who would ask for the weather when it pretty obvious that it's quite windy!_ But all that Coal did was stare, dumbstruck, at the Star-cat.

"Is there any wind?" He repeated

"Obviously there's wind! How else would the trees be moving?" Coal's voice was rising slightly, and she quieted down, thinking that if there really was a cat that they could scare, she wanted that cat to have the scare of its life! She didn't want to alert it that she and the Star-cat was there all because he was being stupid. "And how could the wind stop you from smelling something?" Now that caught Coal off guard.

"The wind can stop you from smelling something? How?"

"You tell me." Coal scowled at the Star-cat, whatever game he was playing at, she was not going to let him win! Not without a fight anyway. She sat down, thinking about the wind and the scents around her. _How can this breeze affect the things I smell?_ She pondered. _Well, I can't smell everything around me, mainly because it's too far away, but what does the wind do?_ She looked around, and watched a leaf as the wind blew it across the ground in front of her. _Of course! The wind blows things, so it must be able to blow scent away too! It sure would explain why it's difficult to smell anything!_ "The wind can blow the scent away, or in a different direction, which means I would need to move around to see if I can catch the scent somewhere else!" she meowed proudly. The Star-cat nodded his head, but opened his mouth to speak again. "That is correct. If something is downwind, that means that the scent will be blown up towards you, and your scent will stay hidden because the wind is blowing it away. If you ever need to hunt something, make sure you're downwind before you even think about hunting something."

Coal nodded. She would have to keep that in mind when she tried hunting when she woke up from this dream. _This dream sure is lasting longer than my usual dreams._ It would explain why she could never smell anything that resembled prey when she had previously tried hunting; she remembered feeling the wind blowing through her whiskers, ruffling her fur, and it had been quite comforting until she took a dip into the stream. Her paws made hardly any noise on the ground as she crept forward, remembering how her Mother had taught her how to hunt a day or two ago, and she kept low, putting her paws down lightly as she edged forward through the undergrowth. She sniffed the air with every step, trying to see if the wind would be kind to her and blow the scent of the other Star-cat to her, help her reveal their hiding place. _How hard is it to find a scent? It shouldn't be that hard, but why haven't I found anything yet then? Maybe I'm just too young to-_ Coal's body stiffened. _There!_ There was the smell of another cat! It had to be another Star-cat, it smelled quite similar to the grey tom-cat, slightly different though. _Well, all cats smell different, I can't expect them to smell exactly the same!_ She sniffed again, taking in deep breaths so she could take in more of the scent. The wind was blowing the scent to her nose, it was so strong that Coal was surprised that she hadn't been able to scent it earlier. _No need to get worked up about not being able to find a scent, Coal, you stupid kit!_ She teased herself.

She sniffed again, just to make sure that she knew where the scent lead to, then began to follow it, the scent becoming stronger and stronger with each step, so Coal knew that she was going in the right direction. She didn't realize that the Star-cat was following her, until she felt his fur brushing against hers. "Well done for finding the scent." Coal felt her chest swell from the praise, but she didn't let that distract her from the other cat that she was about to find. She couldn't mess up now, not when she was so close to completing her task. She had to prove to herself that she _would_ be able to survive, that she _would_ be able to hunt and look after herself, that she _would_ find her Family. Coal winced. Even just thinking about them caused her heart to squeeze, and her breathing would suddenly become uneven.

The Star-cat seemed to notice Coal's sudden change of mood, and gave her a comforting lick on the head, which Coal responded to with a quiet purr. She stopped in her tracks. The scent was _so_ strong now, Coal was surprised that the cat wasn't right in front of her. _Maybe they are in front of me, just hiding so I can't see them..._ Coal looked around. There were quite a few places that a cat could possibly hide, but Coal felt that they wouldn't hide in any of them. She stared at the Star-cat questioningly. _Where are they?_ She mentally screamed at him. If the voice were in her head right then, he would have been scared to death by Coal's mental outburst. Coal almost chuckled at the thought, but kept quiet, not wanting to alert her victim that she was there just yet. The Star-cat looked like he understood what Coal meant, and pointed with his tail up into the foliage of the trees. Coal instantly looked up. _Did he mean that the cat was up there? Or that she should go up there to get a better view for where the cat might be?_ Coal stood still for a few moments, wondering what she should do. _Either way, I'll have to climb a tree..._

Coal's questions were soon answered by a surprisingly loud screech. She whipped her head in the direction where the noise had come from, which just so happened to be right above her. Her body froze with terror, and she had great difficulty holding back a screech of her own as she saw a body of a cat suddenly emerge from the leaves of the tree right above her, and fall through the air, plummeting straight towards her with tremendous speed. _That cat is going to fall on me if I don't do something!_ She tried to get out of the way, but her body wouldn't respond to her. She was stuck to the spot! _Oh No! That cat is going to land on me! Will it hurt? Will I live? This is meant to be a dream, not a scenario where I have to make choices which will decide whether I live or not!_ Finally managing to gain control of her body, Coal leaped to the side at the very last second, and she could feel the slight brush of the falling cat's fur as she managed to dodge them. The cat landed painfully right where Coal had been a few heartbeats ago. Coal let out a breath. _Phew! That was close!_

She crumbled to the floor, terror still coursing through her body as she fought to steady her breathing. _I am such a kit, being scared like that! But it was so sudden, how could I not be scared?_ Coal lifted her head to search for the Star-cat, and found him rolling around on the floor, seemingly in pain. Coal was about to call out to him to see if he was OK, when she heard muffled laughter coming from the grey tom. Anger burned through her. What was he laughing at? Was he laughing at her for being scared? Or was he laughing at his Star friend who had just jumped out of the tree. Listening to the few words that he said between gasps of laughter, Coal guessed both. "Y-you should h-have seen the looks on y-your faces!" He began to laugh harder. "I kn-know that o-one o-of you could have be-been hurt, but your f-f-faces!" Coal growled angrily at him, but her anger soon disappeared. _I'll teach him not to laugh at the Unbeatable Coal!_ She picked herself up from off the ground, and while the grey tom was still rolling on the ground, she slowly began to creep forward. A tail-length or two away, she made her move. The Star-cat's belly was visible, and Coal knew how painful it was to be kicked in the belly. She wriggled her haunches before she pounced onto the laughing cat's belly. She felt the breath get knocked out of his body, and while he was trying to catch it, Coal sat on her haunches, still on his belly, and started to swipe his nose, continuously.

The Star-cat had stopped laughing at this point, and was now using his paws to try and blindly push Coal off of him. She dodged his paws and gave him one final whack on the nose. "Teach you to laugh at me!" She hissed playfully. A pang of sadness took over Coal, the last time something like this had happened, she had been with Dusk, and she had attacked her for laughing at her dripping wet pelt. _This is very similar to that._ She jumped off of the Star-cat, and strolled back to where she was previously, a few tail-lengths away from the cat which had jumped out of the tree. She looked at the cat who now lay comfortably on the ground, watching everything that had just happened. Coal instantly noticed that they were a female cat, and a very pretty one too. Her fur was a dark grey colour, very thick and soft looking, and stars danced in her pelt and eyes, just like the grey tom. She had wide, amber eyes that shone with kindness and love, and for some reason it reminded Coal of her Mother. Both of her ear-tips were ripped, but to Coal, she still looked very pretty.

She gazed into her amber eyes, feeling herself getting lost in them. _They're just so pretty!_ She shook her head when she heard the she-cat chuckle. "Who knew that a small kit like Coal could beat up a fully grown cat." She called to the grey tom, and she turned around to see the Star-cat, had only just caught his breath and was now trying to sit up. He shot her an angry look, but the smile on his face told Coal that he wasn't really mad. "Hey!" He cried. "I wasn't prepared! She caught me off guard and I was too busy laughing to notice her! If she had attacked you, I doubt you'd react any better than I did!" the she-cat just shook her head in response, then turned to face Coal. "Ignore him," she meowed kindly, "I must say I was very impressed with your attack. Most kits don't learn how to crawl and pounce silently until they're a few more moons older than you!" Coal bowed her head, trying to hide her embarrassment from the praise. "Thank you." She squeaked, shuffling her paws. "Ha! Not only are you a great attacker, but you're polite! Well I never."

"Yeah! Mother taught me and Dusk to always say please and thank you, even if we didn't know who we are talking to!" Coal felt the sadness return as she told the she-cat about her Family, but she pushed it away, this cat seemed very happy.

"Well Coal, that's nice to know. Grey Wing here has been watching you quite closely recently, and he says that you are quite a nice kitten." She smiled down at Coal, but Coal didn't smile back, instead, she frowned at her. "Grey Wing? Who's Grey Wing?" The she-cat stared at her for a moment, then she stared at the grey tom. "Come here, Grey Wing." She ordered, and the grey tom who had now recovered from Coal's attack, rushed over, obviously not wanting to be asked twice. Coal stared at the two of them as the Star-cat sat beside the she-cat, their fur brushing against each other's, when finally everything clicked into place. _So that is Grey Wing, huh? Why didn't he just tell me? I know he said that it wasn't important, but still! I need to know him if he's going to look after me! Grey Wing... very strange name._ She stared at the newly named Grey Wing, then back at the grey she-cat. "And what's your name?" She asked. She knew that her words sounded very blunt, but her mind was refusing to work properly, so she just had to keep everything simple for now. "My name? Oh, it's Slate, I'm Grey Wing's mate, and, we've been together for a while now. I'm guessing that he didn't tell you anything about himself then, did he?" Coal shook her head

"No, he just said that he lived..." _Argh! What is this place called?..._ "here." she gestured with her white paw to the forest that surrounded them. Slate nodded, and Grey Wing just looked guilty. Had she gotten him into trouble?

"No need to worry, Little One." Slate meowed, who seemed to have noticed Coal' worried look. "Grey Wing isn't in too much trouble, I bet he just wishes he had told you earlier." She explained. Coal nodded. _OK, so he is called Grey Wing, and she is called Slate, and they are mates, whatever that means, and they are both Star-cats from here, and they are all in my weird dream. Just need to sort things out in my head._ Coal nodded absentmindedly. There was silence between them all for a while, and Coal sat in front of the two full grown cats awkwardly, wondering what she should do. Once again, Coal thought that this was a very strange dream. Grey Wing was watching her as she shifted her paws in the grass, and finally broke the silence. "How about I show you around Starclan? Introduce you to some of the, uh, 'Star-cats' that live here?" He meowed. Coal sat for a few heartbeats, until the words finally sunk in. _Explore!_ Coal leaped to her paws, excitement and energy surging through her. It was rare that she was ever this excited, and her Mother used to always get annoyed with when she was. She bounced around in circles her excitement practically buzzing. "Can I? Can I? Oooh! I really want to explore, I love exploring! Oooh, Please, please, please?" She almost yowled as she bounced around. She heard the two Star-cats chuckle at her enthusiasm, but she didn't care. _I get to meet more cats! I get to see places that only the Star-cat's have ever been! This is the best dream ever!_

"Calm down, Coal!" Slate called, and Coal instantly stopped and sat in front of them again. "Maybe if you stop yowling like that we'll be able to actually take you somewhere." She scolded lightly. Coal just nodded her head, keeping her mouth tight shut. "OK then, follow us!" The Star-cats got up and started to pad off in the opposite direction of the mist wall, and Coal raced after them, not looking back. _Too many dark thoughts are back there._ She thought darkly, then her mind brightened as she felt the warmth of the sun on her back. _I know I said that I would try and grow up, but it's OK if I act like a kit every once in a while._

 **Well, is that up to your liking? I hope it is. Now, time to confess: I know that I'm late updating, and I don't have any reason why, other than I'm lazy and that there are some great Fan-fictions out there** _ **.**_ **When the Friday came when I was supposed to update, I hadn't written anything, then I couldn't bothered to update in the next few days, then my Half-Term started, Halloween, I had a sleepover, had a massive nosebleed, went to the cinema, friends came over, and now I've finally written this chapter. I'm sorry. I'll make it to you for being late somehow. Anyway, what do you think about the Star-cats? Do you know them? I do. Sadly i had to search up what their appearance was though because I'm a terrible pers- I mean cat- and can't remember thing like that. :( Don't kill me for it. Give me any helpful criticism if you have any, give me any ideas that you may have for Coal, and I'll see you at the next chapter!**


	10. Starry Dreams

**Hello! Welcome back! Yay! Are you ready to go and explore Starclan's Hunting Grounds? Because I am, and so is Coal, so you better be because that is what is going to happen in this chapter! But first, I have some sad news to share with you: School has started. WHY? I can't even wake up in the morning, let alone use my brain! Well, hopefully I'll survive. See you at the bottom, and hope you enjoy!**

The excitement still hadn't worn off, and as Coal followed the two Star-cats, their tails entwined, she couldn't help but bounce every now and then. She knew that they had said that she needed to calm down otherwise they wouldn't be able to show her Starclan, but she had to get rid of all of her energy somehow! Bouncing was definitely the best way to do that. She was tempted to just run off into the beautiful forest that protected them from the sun and explore on her own, but she didn't, and she wasn't too sure why. Maybe it was because she could get lost. Maybe it was because the Star-cats may not hear her and leave her behind. Maybe it was because something similar had already happened. Coal shook her head. She couldn't let her dark thoughts ruin the brightness of the forest around her, especially when she was going to do something exciting. But no matter how much she tried to push the thoughts away, they still lingered, so Coal trailed behind the Star-cats, bouncing.

Coal knew that her continuous bouncing was beginning to annoy the Star-cats. Their tails were no longer wrapped up in one another, and had started swishing from side to side, and she noticed their ears were constantly twitching, but that didn't faze her. The foggy wall had long since gone and now all that Coal could see was the forest. It reminded Coal slightly of the forest where she was travelling in, but this place had a safe feeling around it, everything peaceful and quiet, as if nothing would ever be able to happen here which would cause panic or stress. _I'm glad that the Star-cats put guards by that fog, who knows what would happen if the Shadow-cats came here!_ Coal quickly squashed the thought, not wanting to see images of the gloomy place that she had just left. _I've left it behind, so my thoughts should too._ Coal stared at the Star-cat's home, basking in the sunlight that trickled in through the leaves and branches, and started to count how many trees there were to pass time and seeing if she could remember any of their names. By now, she had stopped bouncing, and was concentrating on the woods.

Sometimes, her Mother used to take her and Dusk on little walks, trying to teach them the 'importance of the plants around them'. But she and Dusk would always pretend that they weren't listening so the two of them could annoy their Mother, but secretly, she were always were paying attention, mainly because they knew what would happen if they didn't. Not only did she teach her and Dusk what certain plants did, but she also taught them the different trees and what their names were, and every now and then, she would set up a little test, to see whether or not she and Dusk had been listening. _I'm just doing another little test, the only difference, it's made by me, and I'm doing it alone._ Coal sighed. She wished that Dusk was here, they always did everything together, and rarely anything separated them from one another. _Enough of these thoughts, Coal! What trees can you see?_ Coal focused back on the forest, ignoring any pain she had in her chest from the lack of warmth that Dusk always gave off.

They were going at quite a quick pace, and Coal found it difficult to keep up with the Star-cats, as well as keeping up with the amount of trees she was passing. _Two-three-four-Oak-Sycamore-Beech-five-six-I can't remember that tree-Another Sycamore-seven-Oak again-eight-nine..._ Coal shook her head. _This is so hard! Why can't they just slow down a bit? Don't they know that I've hurt my paw?_ She stopped in her tracks. The pain that she had felt earlier in her dream was completely gone, it had vanished and left no sign that it had ever been there. Coal looked down at her 'hurt' paw and gave it a shake, gentle at first, then more vigorously, and still no pain came. Staring down at her paw, Coal wondered how this had happened. _Maybe because this is a dream, my paw is OK? But then how come it hurt in the Dark Forest? Is it because I'm in the Star-cat's home? But how does that work?_ She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize that Grey Wing and Slate had stopped walking also, and were coming towards her. Coal stopped shaking her paw as the shadow of the two cats fell over her. She glanced up at the two Star-cats, both of them looking down at her with concerned expressions.

"You all alright there, Coal?" Slate asked kindly. She crouched down to Coal's level so that she could look at her without her having to crane her neck up. "Why did you stop?" Coal looked down at her paws. _Is she telling me off?_ "Sorry." Coal murmured. She hated it when her Mother told her off, it always felt as if she had done the worst thing possible by upsetting her Mother, and then she would feel extremely guilty; Coal also hated it when Dusk was getting told off. She felt bad for her every time, her face completely empty of any of the happiness that Coal would usually see there, and nearly every time once her Mother had finished scolding her, she would burst into tears, and Coal would have to come out of her hiding place, from where she was watching what was going on, and have to try and comfort her before her Mother came back. Even though Dusk was much bigger than her, and always acted as the leader out of the both of them, she was the easiest to upset, and Coal took up the role of the older sister, looking after her when their Mother couldn't.

"There's nothing to be sorry for." Slate meowed comfortingly, giving Coal a quick lick on the head. "We were just concerned because before you seemed all full of energy, and we wondered if you'd stopped because you were tired." She explained, and Coal allowed herself to look back up. Slate's face betrayed no hint of lying, so Coal decided to trust her with this. She was still basically a stranger to her, and her Mother had always warned her of not talking to cats that she didn't know, but Grey Wing was still a bit like a stranger too, and yet she felt as if she could trust him, and almost instantly became his friend, but she didn't know where either of them came from, how they knew her, what they were doing with her. _Why am I following them then?_ Coal shook her head, it was getting very confusing for her. _Stop thinking about that now, Slate asked you something, and I need to answer her!_ She decided to tell her the truth, since her heart was telling her that these cats were good, and she could become close to them if she wanted. "I'm fine, Slate, I was just wondering why my paw was hurting in the Dark Forest, and not here, I mean, I know this is a dream and all, but it feels so real! And I hardly remember falling asleep, and usually my dreams aren't as clear or creative as this. It doesn't matter though, I sometimes over-think things." Coal jumped back to her paws. "Well, if this is a dream, it won't last much longer, and I want to see where you're taking me so we better carry on without any more distractions!" Coal got the last part off of her Mother, who was always scolding them for dawdling while they were exploring.

Slate stood back up to her normal height, and quickly bounded back toward Grey Wing, who had taken a few paw-steps aside while Slate was talking to her. Coal watched as Slate stretched her muzzle to Grey Wing's ear and whispered something that Coal couldn't quite pick up. Grey Wing nodded, then called to Coal to walk with them instead of behind them, so they'd know if she wanted to stop or ask something. Coal nodded, and bounded over to them, padding in between them as they started walking again.

It wasn't that long after they'd started walking that they came across a clearing. Coal looked around. The grass was short and full of flowers that grew up to Coal's shoulders, different shades of yellow and purple and giving off a sweet scent that Coal instantly fell in love with. She stretched her neck so that she could have a better view of the clearing, and gasped. In the centre was a huge rock, jutting out of the ground, reaching up to the sky, surrounded in a circle of light caused by the sun that could now flow to the ground without the trees there any more. Two almost silver streams flowed out from two sides of the forest, twisting into the clearing, and curving around the rock in the centre, then carrying on with their journeys, never touching or joining, splitting the clearing into a perfect four, but still looking strangely natural, as if this was always meant to be. Her eyes travelled upward, and soon reached the branches of the trees. They reached outward, boughs thick and sturdy, easily able to hold Coal's weight without moving a whisker, covering patches of the clearing in a cool shade, apart from the rock. As she looked more closely at the trees, she realised that there were claw-marks criss-crossing all the way up the trunks, continuing onto the branches at some points, and there even seemed to be some patches on the boughs that looked worn and smooth, as if something or someone had been there for thousands of generations.

All Coal could do was stare and gape at the massive clearing before her. It was just so huge and sturdy, yet seemed so calm and peaceful, a strange combination, but it comforted Coal a lot. She hadn't even realised that her body was tense until she had entered the clearing and she felt her shoulders droop, and a large smile spread across her face. A strange calmness had washed through her, and she could feel an ancient wisdom engulfing the place, so old it felt as if it had been there before the beginning of time, one trait shared with many minds that had become so strong that it had become one with the clearing before her. Coal took a deep breath. No matter how calming this feeling was, it was very overpowering, and Coal almost felt as if she needed to get more air to help her focus on the reality of the situation.

Coal took another deep breath, and that finally seemed to reduce the feeling in her body until it was only in the background. Two tails wrapped themselves around Coal's shoulders, and without looking she knew that it was Slate and Grey Wing, comforting her from the strong sense the area gave off. She smiled up at the Star-cats, and the excitement returned, doubling now that she knew where she was allowed to explore. She started her bouncing again, hopping from one paw to the other, earning a chuckle from Grey Wing, who gave her a little nudge from behind. It surprised Coal so much that she almost tumbled to the ground, but she managed to save herself before she hit the ground, then sprinted forward.

The flowers tickled her nose, and their scents filled her brain, making her sneeze every now and then, but that didn't stop her sprint straight towards the rock. As she neared, she noticed how there seemed to be paw marks imprinted into the rock, and the sides looked smooth, so if she fell she wouldn't hurt herself from any sharp edges. _Perfect for climbing!_ She was only a few tail-lengths away now, but still she didn't stop her run, she wanted to get a huge run-up. She almost didn't jump onto it, as she was a few paw-steps away from the perfect place to start her jump, she suddenly realised just how tall the rock actually was. She hadn't noticed earlier, but the clearing had slight slopes in it, making the rock seem smaller than it actually was, but now that she was right in front of it, about to start climbing to the top, she doubted she would ever make it up there. _Too late!_ She had reached the perfect jumping spot. Coal didn't stop her sprint and barely hesitated before she was leaping through the air, flying up and toward the side of the rock. She collided with the hard and cold surface, and the breath was knocked out of her.

She felt herself begin to slide off of the rock, and she quickly scrabbled about, trying to stay on for a little longer. She managed to hook her single white paw onto one of the paw marks, and she briefly marvelled at how massive it was compared to her paw. She couldn't marvel for much longer, as she felt herself still slipping, and Coal desperately searched for another paw mark with her hind paws. _There!_ She managed to fit both of her hind paws into the single mark she had found, and used that to propel her upwards so she could reach another paw mark above her. She repeated this a few more times, and she felt her legs begin to tire of the strenuous work of the climbing. But she _had_ to get to the top, she felt that if she didn't, she would have failed someone, even though she wasn't sure who.

As Coal got higher and higher up the rock face, she became aware that it wasn't as steep as it was before, and when she looked, she saw that there was a ledge that she could rest at. Coal gathered up as much energy as she could in her hind legs, then jumped upwards, hooking her paws onto the ledge, and pulling herself up, her back paws pushing her up as well. She flopped onto the ledge, her body exhausted from the sudden sprint and climb. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, counting in-two-three-four, out-to-three-four, until she felt strength begin to return to her and her breathing had evened out again. She peeked through a crack in her eye, staring at the rest of the rock that she had to climb. She almost yowled in delight when she realised that the very top was only a few tail-lengths above her. Before she continued her climb though, she looked at the rest of the rock, and noticed four other ledges at roughly the same height as the one Coal was on, each one able to hold three fully grown cats that could easily sit or stand and still have some room to walk if they wanted. A few dandelions had managed to grow out of a few cracks, and they swayed in the gentle breeze, a bright yellow compared to the grey of the rock.

But when Coal looked closer at the rock itself, she found that it wasn't just an ordinary grey, but thousands of different greys blending together, with the occasional streak of pearly white or jet black. Different parts of the rock seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, and Coal noticed small crystals sticking out of the rock. It was magical, and the fact that flowers had grown here made even more so. Coal shook her head. _How is this rock so strange and pretty? It's just like the rest of this clearing! Maybe the whole of Starclan is like this? I wonder how big Starclan actually is? It can't be that big, since this is only a dream, right? But is this really a dream? Ugh! I really need to stop thinking about this!_ Coal gazed up at the final part of her climb. The top looked flat, and it was big enough to hold _five_ fully grown cats. _This rock really is a lot bigger than I first thought!_

Coal crouched closer to the ledge, her legs bunched up beneath her, and preparing to spring again. She took a deep breath, staring straight to where she wanted to go, the very top of the rock. She wanted to reach the top with as little climbing as possible, since her muscles still hadn't recovered from the initial climb. She slowly let the breath out, then, with a sudden force, she sprung upward. She reached forward with her front paws, desperate to reach the top. With the single jump, Coal had managed to reach roughly half way up, and she luckily found a grip on the rock that she could hold on to. She stayed there for a few heartbeats, allowing herself to catch her breath. _Damn it! I was so close! No I have to climb again!_ She sighed, before looking back up at the top of the rock. It wasn't much further. If she had made it this far and hadn't fallen, then she could easily do this. Once again Coal used her hind legs to propel herself forward and her front paws to pull herself up. It only took a few of these before Coal finally found herself collapsed on the top of the rock!

As soon as she realised this, Coal leaped to her paws and looked around her. She almost fell off the side from shock. _How high am I!?_ When Coal looked ahead of her, instead of seeing the ground and the forest in front of her like she usually did, all she could see was the branches and leaves of the trees that surrounded the clearing. The foliage was so thick, she could only see a few branches, and then a sea of greens, fluttering and twirling in the breeze. As she stared at the trees, she saw a small bluish and white head with a black streak and a small black beak poke out of the leaves. A blue-tit. It's beady, black eyes searched the ground for worms, before it spotted Coal on top of the rock. As soon as she was spotted, the blue-tit quickly spread it's wings then zoomed of, quicker than Coal could keep track of.

Coal took a step closer to the edge. It was time to see the whole clearing from this new viewing point. She peeked over the ledge, and her entire body froze. _The ground is so far away!_ She squashed the fear as soon as it came, wanting to see the beauty instead of the horror. She shouldn't have bothered catching her breath when she reached the top, because as soon as she took in the clearing below her, her breath was taken away. She could see the streams, like two silver snakes slivering over the ground from one side to the other, the sun sending them into a whirlpool of sparkles. The flowers had turned into bright purple and yellow dots, bouncing back and forth like strange coloured bees, in a see of bright, lush green. She could see the shapes the shadows of the trees made, strange blotches that no matter how hard Coal tried, she couldn't make out any obvious shapes. She saw a few holly hedges in the clearing which had been hidden by the rock earlier, and she could make out that there was a large space inside, the floor covered in fluffy looking moss. _A bit like my bed at my old home._ She thought absently, her mind still trying to wrap itself around how high up she was and how large the clearing was. _At least twice as large as my old home, and I thought that was massive!_

Coal turned her gaze back to the way she had come, and saw Slate and Grey Wing staring up at her, surprise evident in their eyes as well as another emotion. Pride? _But why would they be proud of me? Aren't mothers supposed to do that when their kits do something like walk for their first time?_ She chased away those thoughts and lifted her paw to them. "Look!" She yowled at the top of her voice, letting the full excitement of what she'd managed to do sink in. "I made it to the top! On my own!" The two Star-cats had moved from where she had left them, they were now closer to the rock, lying side by side in a stream of sunlight, looking very comfortable and at home. _Well, this_ is _there home._ They smiled up at her. "Well done!" They both called up to her. That small bit of praise filled Coal with a strange warmth, starting from her chest then spreading throughout her body, leaving a tingly feeling. _I barely know either of them, and yet there both already praising me!_ That thought brought a huge grin to Coal's face. She really had done it, and she didn't need to be told what to do! Coal gave a huge victory jump, all of her energy restored instantly, but when she landed, her 'hurt' paw sent an electric current of pain up her leg, and gave way beneath her, and she crumpled to the ground. She whimpered in pain, and felt tears prick her eyes and threaten to fall.

She swallowed, trying to calm her nerves. She looked down at her paw, but it looked fine, and when she gave it a quick shake, the pain didn't come back. She stared at it in confusion, but she was broken out of her thoughts by the worried cries of Slate. "Coal? Coal? Coal, are you alright?" The panic in her voice was easy to pick up and that made Coal quickly get back up to reassure her.

"Don't worry!" She called out. "I'm fine, my paw just started playing up, that's all!" She could see Slate and Grey Wing watching her cautiously as she came into view.

"You mean the one you hurt when you passed out while travelling?" Grey Wing asked. Coal felt herself tear up as she began to think of what happened that night, how she couldn't go on any further, how when she stopped her Family had disappeared, and then the shadows had attacked her. _No! Stop it!_ Coal yelled at herself. She tried to scare away the thoughts, but they came back stronger than before, slowly taking over her vision until all she could see was what happened that night.

Through the sounds of what had happened when she had lost her family, Coal thought she could hear a cat yelling at someone, but it was muffled and hard to hear, as if she were underwater. "Now look wh-...-now she'-...-cause of you!" Coal tried to shake away the visions, but they had stuck, clinging on to her and not wanting to let go, and all she could see was the shadows crawling closer to capture her. She tried to get away, but only managed to stumble back a few paw-steps, until she felt her hind paw land on nothing but air, and she felt herself begin to slip backward off of the rock. She let out a terrified screech, and scrambled around with her front paws, trying to find a grip, but all she could see was the shadows, and her tiny paws were unable to find anything to hold on to. Her body carried on slipping, and with nothing to hold on to, Coal felt herself beginning to fall, and she let out another screech. The shadows had captured her completely now, and all she could see was darkness, and all she could feel was the air whipping through her fur as she fell, with nothing to stop her apart from the hard ground below her.

Bracing for the impact of her small body colliding with the ground, Coal closed her eyes, this darkness feeling strangely brighter compared to the shadow's darkness. Her stomach was flipping inside of her as she fell, and she felt as if she was going to be sick, but nothing rose up her throat, only a silent scream as she continued to fall. _Why did I have to go all the way to the top? Now I'm going to have more than a hurt paw when I land. Well, I really do hope that this is a dream, then._ She waited. And waited. And waited. Confusion took over her fear; she couldn't feel anything solid beneath her, only air, but the wind wasn't whistling in her ears any more, roughly ruffling her jet black fur. _Why have I stopped falling?_ She didn't want to open her eyes, she knew that if she did she was more likely to be sick, but that was the only way to understand why she had stopped falling without touching the ground.

One eye cracked open. Her vision was too blurry to see through, and she blinked a few times, trying to focus on why she hadn't hit the ground. It wasn't helping. Coal cracked open her other eye, but the vision in that one was blurry too. She blinked again and again, but, if anything, her sight became more difficult to use. The fur on her cheeks began to soak, but the water felt warm, and it felt like two streams running down her face from her eyes. It was then, that Coal suddenly realised that she was crying. She fully opened both of her eyes, and she could feel her warm tears swiftly flowing down her face from her eyes, which had become easier to see through now they were more open. Coal tried to stop the tears, but they kept on coming, and then Coal realised just how scared she was. The fear spread through every part of her body, filling her mind and piercing her heart. Her stomach was churning, and even though she had stopped falling, she still felt as if she was going to be sick. The fear wasn't letting her think straight, and Coal soon found herself full on sobbing and clinging on to a warm wall of soft fur, burying her head and hiding herself from the world around her.

 _Wait a second... fur?_ Why was there fur here? Hadn't she fallen off of a rock, not a cat? _Maybe Grey Wing or Slate caught me, and that's why I'm not falling any more._ And that was when the realization hit her. Teeth had sunk into her scruff, and she was dangling in the air, as if someone were carrying her like her Mother did when she was younger and couldn't walk far distances. Someone had caught her before she could hit the ground, and now she was clinging on to them for dear life. She had fallen off of the _top_ of the rock, and she was safe and unhurt because of the cat that had caught her, the cat that was breathing very heavily and seemed to be struggling to hold her up. Coal's eyes shot open. And sure enough, there was fur that she was burying herself into, soft and fluffy, and smelling of places from far, far away, sweet and kind, but there was a familiar scent about it. _Strange, they don't smell like Grey Wing or Slate... yet they have the same smell of the Star-cats._ Coal inspected the fur, and saw that it wasn't grey like her two new friends, but a pure white with splotches of ginger, black and brown covering the cat's back and tail as well as parts of their muzzle.

Coal looked up into the eyes of the new Star-cat, which were a very familiar shade of green, but instead of a neutral and kind gaze, she was met with one filled with worry and concern. _Dapplefur!_ This was one of the Star-cats which had warned her never to go to the Dark Forest ever again, in her first dream where they had floated down from the night sky as stars, slowly forming into cats. _But I went back..._

Coal broke eye contact with Dapplefur, and looked down at her paws which were dangling in the air, swaying slightly since they had nothing to grip on to. Past her paws, Coal could see the sea of flowers dancing beneath her, about half a tail-length below her. The flowers came closer as Dapplefur gently put her back on the ground. Coal collapsed as soon as she let go of her scruff, relief rushing through her to be back on something solid again. Tears still fell from her eyes, and she could see them falling on to the blades of grass, slowly rolling to the tip, the blades bending slightly under the weight of the salty water, then flowing off and splashing into the soil, slowly being soaked up. The tears didn't stop coming for a while, and Coal's entire body shook from her sobbing. _I could have hurt myself..._ Coal thought miserably, rubbing her nose with her paw and sniffing. A warm tongue lapped at her ear-tips comfortingly as Coal cried, easing the fear that still lingered in her heart even though she was safe now. _I'm safe._

Paw-steps thundered towards Coal; lifting her eyes and peering through the flowers to see what was happening, Coal saw Grey Wing and Slate rushing towards her, running so fast their paws became a blur. They skidded to a stop before they could run her over, Slate crouching in front of her, giving her muzzle so many licks Coal thought she would never be able to get dirty again. "Oh Starclan! I was so scared when I heard you fall, I thought you were going to hurt yourself really bad!" She turned her head to Dapplefur, who was crouched behind Coal. "Thank you for catching her! I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't"

"None of us would have known what to do if our new Fire had been hurt." Was the ominous reply. Coal blinked away the rest of her tears, then turned her head to Dapplefur. "Are you talking about me?" She asked shakily. Dapplefur turned her gaze from Slate to her.

"Yes." Coal waited for her to continue, but it seemed as if that was all she had to say.

 _If she was talking about me, then did she just call me their new Fire? What does that even mean?_ Coal opened her mouth to ask, but the Star-cat did have more to say, and interrupted her before she could even begin. "The new Fire has finally arrived. The Clans have been waiting for you, but whether they want you or need you is still yet to be known." Her voice was serious, and strangely deep, her ominous tone still present. This confused Coal even more. The only thing that she could get a grip on was the fact that the familiar word _Clan_ had been said again, but this time, it was a plural. Coal stared blankly at the three Star-cats circling her. _So, these cats are telling me that I'm the new Fire and the Clans are waiting for me. No thanks, I just want to find my Family!_ " _Search_ and you will _find."_ Coal nearly leaped out of her skin. The three cats had spoken at exactly the same time, their voices joining into one, almost commanding and emotionless as they spoke. Dapplefur stepped in front of her. "Remember what I told you: Even in the deepest of caves, there is still light." The ominous words sent shivers down Coal's spine. She shut her eyes, taking a deep breath. She knew that these words were meant to comfort her, but she felt the fear return. She felt fur brush against all her sides, and the scents of Grey Wing and Slate joined Dapplefur, wreathing around her.

She tried to open her eyes so she could see her friends, but something kept them glued shut, and her body suddenly went limp, her mind no longer able to control her limbs. She let out a terrified mewl, wondering what was happening. She tried to struggle against her lifeless body, but she couldn't move. Warm breath ruffled her ear fur as Grey Wing whispered to her. "Hush little one, don't panic. It's time to wake up now, you've recovered slightly in the waking world, so now you must return and search for your Family. I'm sorry for scaring you earlier, I will repay you, some way. We will be looking over you like we do with the Clans, and you will see us soon, no need to worry." His words calmed Coal's heart, and filled her with confidence. She will find them, and nothing will be able to stop her, she had delayed enough, and now she had to try! As these words ran through her head, Coal stopped struggling and fighting with herself, finally letting the unconsciousness wash over her, sending her back to the forest where she was going to be greeted with nothing but coldness and pain.

 **Coal: Well it took you long enough to write this!**

 **zZCoalpawZz: Sorry! Umm...** * **tries to conjure up excuses* I-uh- life! School! Uh- writer's block?**

 **Dusk: * Glares at her ***

 **zZCoalpawZz: Not good enough? OK, Well I guess I _was_ gone for a few months...**

 **Coal & Dusk: EXACTLY!**

 **zZCoalpawZz: SORRY! I'm genuinely sorry for not writing this (I need to stop making empty promises...) But I really did have Writer's Block!**

 **Dusk: And what happened after that?**

 **zZCoalpawZz:...**

 **Coal: Hello?**

 **zZCoalpawZz: OK, I'm sorry, I became lazy again... but you know what I'm like!**

 **Dusk: * Whispers to Coal * We really shouldn't have hired that lazy blob as our author...**

 **Coal: I regret all decisions that I've made concerning zZCoalpawZz apart from how I'm going to murder her for not keeping to her schedule!**

 **ZZCoalpawZz: I'm right here, Guys...**

 **Coal & Dusk: Oops...**

 **zZCoalpawZz: I'll talk to you two later. Now I'm going. BYE!**


	11. Swirling Depths

**I really am sorry about disappearing on you guys like that. I honestly don't know why I found it so difficult to just write. Thankfully, I found a way, and that is by continuously playing quiet music in the background, which somehow helps me write instead of distracting me. Huh. If you don't know them already, then please check out Of Monsters and Men, I love their songs!**

 **Anyway, I'd like to thank you guys for sticking with me and my rubbish updating schedule, and even bothering to click on my story in the first place! Thanks! Love you! (Not in that way! :O )**

 **Enough from me, here's the next chapter!**

A chilling wind whipped through Coal's fur, reaching her skin and making her bones shake in their sockets. Her small body was shaking violently from the cold, and her injured paw was sending spasms of pain up her leg. She let out a soft groan, slowly opening her eyes and trying to sit up without affecting her paw. Coal blinked away the sleep in her eyes, where tears had already started to form due to the harsh winds. _I don't remember it being_ this _cold when I fell asleep._ She thought sleepily, her thoughts still trying to catch up with everything that was going on around her. She sat there shivering for a few heartbeats, allowing the last webs of sleep fall away. Her eyes travelled around the hole which she had hidden in to sleep. The walls were soggy, a few trails of water ran down them from the soaked grass at the rim of her hole, but they still stood firmly. It wasn't too deep, if Coal stood on her hind legs she could poke her head out of the hole with ease, if she wanted to get out, she wouldn't even have to climb.

A drop of water fell on her back, sending more shivers down her spine. She turned around to lick it off so it wouldn't make her more cold, but it didn't matter. As she twisted her head around, she caught sight of her body, which was soaked through and coated with mud and leaves. _It must have rained while I slept._ Her stomach let out a loud rumble, and Coal became aware of the pains of hunger clawing at her insides. She groaned again. "Great. I'm cold, wet, dirty, hungry and lost. Can it get _any_ better than this?" She mumbled sarcastically, shaking the droplets that had fallen on her. A few blobs of muck flew off of her as well as the rain. _Mother would hate seeing me like this, filthy. She would probably never stop trying to clean me._ Another drop fell on her nose, and she sneezed. _Maybe I should clean myself so I won't be captured by her._

Coal collected her legs beneath her, preparing to jump out of the hole. She could feel her muscles protesting and rapidly growing weaker from her lack of food as she gathered up the remainder of her energy. She sprung upward, hooking her paws into the forest floor and started to struggle pulling herself up. She managed it fine though, the practice from climbing the rock in Starclan helping her greatly, her muscles aching but used to the movement and quickly allowing her to escape her temporary bed.

Sunlight streamed through the leaves, the angle of the beams of light indicating that the sun had reached it's highest point in the sky. _How am I supposed to find my Family now?_ Panic started surging through her, and she started shaking for a different reason to the cold. If the sun wasn't rising or setting, then she wouldn't be able to follow the setting sun towards where she and her Family were originally heading, she would have to wait for a while to work it out. Coal sighed, and tried to stop her shaking body. _What did Mother do whenever I was cold?_ She sat at the edge of the hole, not having moved since she climbed out of her sleeping place. A small memory floated through Coal's mind, it seemed blurry and it was hard to reach out to and grab, each time her mind was about to grasp it, it would quickly float away at the last second. Coal huffed, stopping her attempt. Her belly let out another loud rumble, and her hunger suddenly intensified. She groaned in pain, and curled up in herself, willing her hunger to go away.

 _'If you want to stop being hungry, then find something to eat!'_ An exasperated and familiar voice sounded in her head. She felt her heart skip a beat and her body stiffened. Even though she knew that the voice was her imagination and probably came from the fact that she was alone, she still uncurled herself and quickly glanced around her, checking if there was anyone there. Of course, she couldn't find anyone, and she curled back into a ball, completely ignoring what the Voice had said. _Wait a second, what_ did _he say? And what is he doing here?_

 _'I'm here to help, obviously, why else would I tell you to hunt?'_ he meowed, as if it really were that obvious. _It probably is._ She mumbled to herself.

A sudden fear clenched her heart. _'I have to hunt?'_ she whispered, her voice shaky and almost hopeful, hopeful that he would laugh and say he was joking, that she didn't have to hunt. It was weird whenever she talked to the Voice, even though she knew she was the one saying the words, it felt and sounded as if it were someone else entirely talking to him. She always planned what she was going to say, but then someone would steal her words and say them to him for her, and she would listen to the conversation happening in her head, reacting to it even though it felt as if it wasn't her. But she hadn't planned her voice to be hopeful, so maybe the one stealing her words was hopeful for her. _And I am hopeful that I don't have to hunt, my paw feels really sore this morni- well, it's sun-high, so I can't say that!_ And the climb hadn't really helped her paw at all, even though she was trying to use her other paw to pull her up, she still had to use her injured one as well. The fact that she was cold and shivering probably wasn't helping either.

She thought back to what had happened the last time she had hunted and caught some prey. The memory clear and sharp in her mind, the head-splitting pain from it still memorable, causing Coal to wince just thinking about it. ' _I don't want to hunt.'_ she meowed. She could feel the Voice pausing as he processed what she had just said.

 _'Why?'_ he asked cautiously, as if he already knew but just wanted to check, or see if she would lie to him.

 _'Uh...' Should I tell him? Do I trust him?_ Coal thought back to what the Voice had done for her. He continuously scared her whenever he showed up, she didn't know who he was, or what he looked like, if he had a body at all, and he was very secretive. But, he had helped her, giving her the idea on how she could find her family, and being her company while she was on her own. Could that be enough to trust him? Or did he have too many bad points? _He is my friend._ He was _helping_ her find her _Family,_ and he started helping her even though they hardly knew each other. _Well, he actually knows everything about me, more than I know apparently, since he has always been watching over me since I was born._ Coal paused her thinking. _But, he's a figment of my imagination, how does he know more than me when he's a part of my mind?_ She was getting off of topic. If she could trust herself, then she could easily trust her imaginary Voice, no matter how secretive he was.

 _I'll tell him, to get it off of my chest. 'Last time I hunted... it didn't end too well.'_ she paused, wondering how she could explain this to him. _'Last time, instead of killing my prey, I_ became _my prey.'_

 _'I know.'_ he meowed shortly. Coal blinked confusedly. _'Then why-'_

 _'Because that isn't a reason to not hunt. Sure, it scared you and it probably hurt a lot, but that doesn't matter; you need to hunt to survive.'_ Hurt filled her as he said that. _So he doesn't care for me? He doesn't care that I'm too afraid in case it happens again?_

 _'Of course I care!'_ he meowed harshly, startling Coal out of her sad thoughts. _'Just because I say that it doesn't matter doesn't mean that I don't care! It just means that you need to toughen up, you can't chicken out because of something which might not even happen again!'_

Coal remained silent, shocked into not speaking by the realization that he had just said that he cared her. _'You've never said that.'_ Coal whispered, barely audibly. She knew that he was looking after her and trying to help, but it never occurred to her that he actually cared to what happens to her. Now that he'd said it, it became quite obvious, because, who would tell an undersized kitten like her what to do unless they cared? _If he hadn't started talking to me, I wouldn't have got back up when my paw made me trip up._ A wave of gratitude towards the Voice washed over her. Her paw was injured, and he was continuously encouraging her to push onwards, despite the pain that it brought her. _I thought that it was my need to see my Family that kept me going, but it was actually the Voice that kept me going._ Coal almost fell over at this realization.

She knew that her need to be with her Family again was strong and partly why she carried on, but the Voice helped her even more, comforting her and helping her, without her even realizing it until now. If he hadn't been there, she would have probably starved by now... her belly let out another loud rumble. She still hadn't eaten, because she was too afraid that she might turn into a mouse again. _It was probably your imagination, Coal, you silly cotton-head!_ She laughed at the thought. Slowly letting herself starve because of something which isn't even possible? How stupid could she get? Coal let out another small laugh. It was pretty easy the last time she had hunted, so how hard could it be now? Not hard at all, she would easily be able to catch something and fill the hole in her stomach, and stop the aching inside of her.

Fully opening her eyes, Coal leaped to her paws, wincing when her paw protested, but she didn't fall this time. Suddenly, Coal remembered how her paw had reacted when she had attempted hunting on her own; it was very painful. The Voice obviously sensed her worry and her words, and quickly meowed, _'I know that your paw still hurts, but after that long rest of yours, it has healed quite a bit, so it won't bother you as much as last time.'_ he reassured.

 _'Really? Well, that's good.'_ She was surprised that it was already healing, and she was also very glad, it definitely wasn't helping her with finding her Family, or surviving even.

Coal stared up through the thick foliage above her, the sun rays still pointing directly down, indicating that hardly any time had passed while she was talki- communicating with the Voice. _'How long did you say I had been asleep?'_ she asked.

 _'Hmm... a while.'_

 _'Very useful!'_ she snorted sarcastically, then she feigned a serious tone, _'Honestly, I think I need to find a new Voice to help me!'_

 _'You can't,'_ he replied simply, destroying the joking feel to their conversation that Coal had created, _'I am the only Voice that you will ever be able to talk to, and the only one that currently exists.'_ Coal hadn't noticed that she had been smiling, but when he said that, it fell off of her face as if it had been a drop of rain falling from the heavens. _The only one?_ A pang of sympathy passed through her. _He's all on his own then! He sounds like a fully grown cat, so he must have been on his own for his entire life!_

 _'Enough of these depressed thoughts!'_ his voice took on a lighter tone, ' _We need to get some food into you before you collapse!'_ Her stomach agreed with him, and her head did too, but something was telling her that she shouldn't do as he said. _Instinct?_ Coal doubted that was it, so she easily pushed the strange feeling aside, and retreated back into the real world from the unusual place that she entered every time she and the Voice spoke, beginning her search for a decent meal.

The Voice had been right. Her paw wasn't bothering her as much as it had previously, and she found that she could crouch and stalk through the undergrowth without upsetting her paw. But she didn't. She knew that was what she needed to do to hunt, but her throat was burning from the lack of water, and walked around, licking at bushes which still had a few drops on them from the rain. It wasn't much, but it was definitely helping her with beginning to regain some of her concentration. The Voice had suggested finding another stream or river after she had started her hunt, and the sun had moved a fraction, which was enough to tell Coal which way the sun set, so she followed the trail and kept an eye out for a source of water.

It didn't take long, the sun had moved more, but Coal hadn't tired at all. She couldn't be bothered to circle around a patch of brambles, and decided to weave through it instead. She'd nosed a few branches out of the way, earning a few shallow scratches, and found a gap that she could fit through. After squirming around a bit, she had managed to squeeze through most of the jungle, only pricking herself on a million thorns. A few more moments of struggling, and she could see the end of the thicket, and raced towards it, tired with all of the prickles surrounding her. What she hadn't thought about was what was on the other side of the bramble thicket.

Her paws had met thin air, and she found herself tumbling down a bank towards a river. The only thing she could think was _Is this going to become a daily occurrence or something?_ Before she plummeted into the raging rapids of the drink that she was looking for.

Now she had washed up onto the bank of the river, half drowned and exhausted from the struggle of trying to stay on the surface of the water. She had had a nice long drink, a tad too long for Coal's taste, but now her throat was burning for a different reason. Her fur was even more damp than when she had woken up, in fact water was streaming down her, her fur too wet to even think about drying any point soon. Even her bones felt wet from her experience, her muscles were screaming in pain from being overworked and she felt as if she would never be able to walk ever again. She shuddered as she thought about what had happened.

 _As soon as her body was submerged by the freezing river, the chill went straight to her bones and her body stiffened. The shock from the cold caused her to momentarily forget how to move and what was happening, and she sunk deeper into the depths of the river. She didn't know how long she allowed the river to take full control of her, but she soon became aware of the cold wet seeping into her skin, and the dark, murky river flinging her body around, as if it weighed nothing but air. Coal couldn't make sense of which way was up or down, and the lack of oxygen was making it harder for Coal to think straight._

 _Her paws floundered around her, her instincts making her swim, but her body too weak against the current to alter which direction she was heading. Coal saw black dots dancing around her vision, her lungs burning, begging for more air, but when Coal opened her mouth, it was instantly filled with the dirty water of the bottom of the river. She struggled harder, trying her best, using every ounce of her energy to just try and rise to the surface and breath again. But Coal still couldn't make sense of which way was up or down, and she wasn't sure if she was making much difference anyway._ I'm drowning! _She screamed internally, and thrashed around her, her vision blackening more with every heartbeat..._

Coal shuddered again, the chill still deep in her bones. A fraction of her energy had returned, and she felt that she might just be able to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt as if they had stones attached to them. When she finally cracked them open, she was surprised by the brightness that she was greeted with. Closing her eyes again, Coal waited. She wasn't sure if she was even waiting, or if she was trying to sleep, but she knew time was passing. She couldn't think straight, her mind was feeling fuzzy and wasn't working properly. She wasn't thinking about anything, shecouldn't. All she knew was the strange abyss she was apparently floating in, her body and mind numb, both useless and limp.

In the darkness, Coal began to gain a bit of feeling in her paws, and they started twitching, twitching in the nothingness. Her tail started swinging slowly from side to side, batting at air in the nothingness. Her ears started swivelling around, picking up the thick silence of the nothingness. Coal's mind processed the hard, cold surface that she was sprawled across, seeping all non-existent warmth from her, and the almost scorching heat spreading over her back. Her mind slowly caught up with what was happening, but it was so hard, so tiring. Things were still fuzzy, and Coal could only think of simple things. She lay there in the nothingness.

It was so cold. That was all Coal could think about. The freezing in her bones that seemed to be coming from all around her as well as within. She was breathing heavily. _Why?_ She didn't know, and quite frankly, she didn't care. Coal was happy just lying there for ever. She wasn't needed for anything, she wasn't doing anything important before she came her, she could just relax and sleep. But, she wasn't sleeping. She was thinking. And something was telling her that she had to do something, that she had already started and needed to finish. Maybe Dusk would know, and she would finish it for her, she was just too tired to get up yet- Dusk!

A slither of her memory returned, she and her Family had left home, searching for a new one, but something happened. _What happened? Think, Coal, think!_ Oh Yes! She was separated from them and as soon as she had woken up she had started searching for them, following the setting sun. She _had_ to find them! Why wasn't she right now? The darkness pressed in on her. All she had to do was open her eyes, and she could search! Why weren't they opening? They felt as if they had been glued shut, intended to never open ever again. But they had to, or else she would be alone forever...

With a great effort, Coal managed to crack open one eye, a slither of green standing out against her damp, black fur. A loud crashing noise filled her ears, never ending and staying the same volume. Her fur was clinging to her body, and she was clinging to a rock, the hard surface digging into her soft underbelly. Her limbs felt as if they would fall off any second, her muscles screaming at her. Her head was spinning, her thoughts all jumbled up and she wasn't able to form a single simple thought. Her white paw lay limply in front of her muzzle, and to Coal's horror, it had swollen up, giving off spasms of pain up to her shoulder, forcing her to keep still. She could feel her tail dangling over the edge of the rock, dipping into freezing cold water, which sprayed over the rest of her already wet body.

Coal groaned. _Where am I?_ Her neck ached, but Coal lifted her head up, her dizziness subsiding slightly, and she looked around, both of her eyes finally open. She was sprawled over a rock, one out of a rather large group, on a small stone beach. The beach sloped up towards the lush undergrowth of the forest, the trees casting shadows over the edge where the grass turned into pebbles. Coal looked above the trees to the sky, which she had a clear view of now there was no branches blocking her sight. The usually blue sky had turned a deep purple, early stars beginning to appear, not a single cloud out to cover them up. _So, the sun has set, or has begun too at least. But where is it?_

Coal swivelled her head around until she was looking behind her, and Coal had found the source of the crashing noise. A river. Memories resurfaced, and Coal flinched away from the spray, suddenly hating the expanse of water that was rushing past in front of her very eyes. As Coal's heart stopped racing, she became awed by how fast the water was flowing, crashing into rocks, erupting into an explosion of freezing droplets. _How did I survive falling into_ that _?_ The question couldn't be answered. All she could remember was struggling to get air and everything turning black. She remembered waking up on this bank, before she blacked out again.

She had turned the rest of her body around too so it wouldn't hurt her neck as much, and it would be easier to see the river this way. She looked upstream, noticing how the current seemed stronger, and how it weaved around the rocks that sprouted out of the river. _How did I not hit any of those?_ She wondered, before she checked downstream. And it was a beautiful sight, almost worth nearly drowning in a river to see.

The river had smoothed out, becoming wider and calmer, almost becoming a small lake, with no ripples, making it look solid and a if it could be walked on. It stretched on and on, as far as Coal could see, and further. Like the sky, the water wasn't its original colour, it was a blazing mess of orange, red and yellow flames, a bright beacon in the darkening forest. The sun was setting, sinking slowly into the never ending expanse of flaming water, it's bright rays reflecting off of the water. It stained the purple sky into an orangey pink, the orange seeping into the trees and grass and stones. The setting sun had turned everything into a beautiful blazing mess, putting everything to shame with its beauty. Coal couldn't stop staring.

She wasn't sure how long had passed until Coal finally tore her eyes away from the view. Her eyes had started watering after keeping them wide open for so long. The sun had sunk until it had almost completely set, the world fading back to the shadowy place it was before. The rock beneath her had become cold without the sun to keep it warm, and it was taking the warmth out of Coal's body that she couldn't afford to lose. She started shivering, now surrounded by shadows, dark, dark cages of cold and- _STOP!_ She quickly shook the thoughts away, and ignored the shadows. Her fur hadn't been able to dry due to the continuous spray from the river which she was still surprised she had survived from, so her body couldn't warm her up. Her muscles had regained some energy, and Coal felt that she would have enough to find shelter to sleep in for the night.

Her legs were stiff, but Coal managed to shakily stand up on all fours, her injured paw numb from cold. In fact, nearly her entire body was numb. _I really need to find some shelter._ She clambered down off the rock, slipping a few times because of the spray. The stones shifted slightly under her paws as she landed, and she only stumbled for a few steps before she regained balance. Coal headed towards the treeline, her pace painfully slow. She wasn't sure what she was going to find, but she knew that there was at least more shelter in the thick undergrowth than out on the stony beach.

As time progressed, feeling returned slowly to her body, her numbness in her paw receding, her energy ebbing away. The river experience had taken a lot out of her, and Coal wasn't so sure if she would be able to find a safe place to sleep before she passed out. The world was darkening, Coal didn't know if it was due to shadows or if she was beginning to black out, but either one was the reason to the rapidly dimming light. Almost tripping over a root, Coal carried on limping forward. Her mind was just processing that pain was flaring up her leg, but she could barely feel it. She could barely feel anything. Another root. _Where are these coming from?_ Glancing around, Coal realised that she had reached the forest. _When did I get here? I thought I was still on the beach- where am I?_ She tried to remember which direction she had come from and which way she was going, but her mind had clouded over.

What had she even been doing trying to get into the forest in the first place? Was she trying to get into it, or out of it? Had she been here the whole time, just wondering around? Was this even a forest? As Coal continued to stare, the light was quickly diminishing. Her eyesight became blurry, and when she blinked it only became more blurry. Her ears felt as if she was listening from underwater, strange noises barely reaching them. Her head couldn't comprehend what was happening, she was hardly aware of the fact that she had collapsed, all she knew was the aching tiredness which had suddenly spread throughout her entire being. She struggled to keep her eyes open, still trying to get her sight to focus, but her eyelids started drooping on their own accord. Then, darkness swept over her.

 **Hmmm. Another long wait for another chapter. Sorry. And sorry for the ending to this one, I honestly have no idea why I make Coal suffer like this, it just happens! Just so you know, she didn't die, and if you're wondering how the Hell Coal survived, well, why hasn't the Voice responded to her yet? That's your clue.**

 **I hope that you're enjoying this story so far (even though this is just the beginning for it) and that you will continue to enjoy this as the story progresses. I think that soon I might need a beta person to help me with this, because I am terrible at finding mistakes! So, sorry if there are any in this chapter! I should probably thank those who have followed this at such an early stage, so thanks to BonEpic, I-really-hope-not, and RainySpirit, as well as those who are bothering to read this rubbish! Thanks!**

 **Now is time for me to disappear again, so see you when I do I guess. Bye!**


	12. Protection

**Hello! Am I early? Am I late? I don't know! What I do know is that something very interesting happens in this chapter, which will lead on to a very happy scene in the next one. Thanks I-really-hope-not and Rainstorm for the reviews, and for the others who just started to read this Fan-fiction!**

 **Remember, if there's any absolutely horrible mistakes in this story that you can't bare to see, please tell me, and I'll see how I can correct it, and if you can give any helpful criticisms as well, that's great!**

 **(Don't forget about OC's for Breezeclan if you fancy a part of your creation here!)**

 **And now, it's time that I say (after a few chapters without saying it) that I don't own Warriors, the Erin Hunters do, and it is best that they always own Warriors, for the safety of the World.**

 **I'll see you at the bottom! Enjoy!**

Birds twittered happily as they flew in and out of their nests, small blurs flashing past, weaving around branches and twirling in the rising sun as they searched for food to feed their young. Coal had been watching them for a while now. She had woken up, cold and lost, tangled up in the roots of an oak, moss keeping her body away from the hard ground, without a clue as to where she was. Her memory had taken it's time in returning to her, but when it did, images of dark rivers and shadows took over her, so she pushed them away, deciding to try and forget about the whole ordeal, and carry on forward. But she couldn't find which way was forward, and with the sun hiding behind the trees and the only way to figure out which way was which was to search her memories, she had decided to follow her small paw prints back to the river.

And that was where she stayed, her mind slowly waking up with the rising sun, with her body laying on the exact same rock she had washed up on. Her damp fur had warmed up and her muscles, though aching, had gained some energy. She was in no mood for travelling though. No matter how much she knew she had to find her Family, something was nagging her, and she had to try sort out her jumbled thoughts before she could even think about standing up. She was trying to figure out how she had survived yesterday, her only injury being her paw becoming worse. The Voice was giving no answers, his presence couldn't even be felt, and with the oncoming headache Coal was having from thinking so hard, she decided to give up.

That wasn't the only thought that was nagging her though. When she had woken up, she expected her hunger to have flared up overnight, especially after the struggle in the river, but it hadn't. In fact, she hardly felt hungry at all, only the normal hunger she had every time she woke up in the morning, waiting for her breakfast. It was as if she had eaten a meal before she had passed out, her hunger barely anything compared to what it had been previously. It puzzled Coal greatly, and like with how she'd survived, Coal couldn't find an answer as to how. So she decided to push that to the back of her mind too, another puzzle to be solved later.

She was facing to where the sun had set, the sun rays falling down behind her and the wind pushing a few thin branches out of the way, leaving her with a clear view of where she had to travel. Even without the setting sun, the scenery was still beautiful. Sparkles shone in the calm river, the ripples from the breeze making them dance and spin. Willow trees swayed slightly, the branches swerving back and forth, dancing in the light wind, catkins floating down and landing on the water, staying afloat and drifting out to the deeper parts of the river.

The water was surprisingly clear, a huge difference to the water upstream, and when Coal looked into the shallows, she could easily see the stone bed of the river. Coal stared blankly into the river, letting her thoughts drift away. She knew that she was searching for her Family, and she knew that they were likely to be searching for her, but with all of her thoughts focussed on whether or not she'd see them again, she hadn't even wondered about how they were. She hadn't wondered why they didn't notice she'd disappeared, or how they felt once they did notice. She hadn't even thought about if they'd been hurt or injured, whether they were safe.

Now that she was resting these were all she could think about. How could she have been so selfish? Only worrying about herself when her Family could very well be in as much pain as her. What if the reason why her Mother didn't come and instantly find her was because Dusk had been hurt, or the other way round? What if they were trapped somewhere, and were relying on her to come and save them? And all she was doing was basking in the rising sun, waiting for her thoughts to sort themselves out! She had to do something before-

She was distracted from her thinking by a flash of silver in the shallows, so quick that it was gone as soon as Coal was focussed again, as if it had been her imagination. Coal narrowed her eyes, peering closer at the river bed. _What was that?_ She wondered, but before she could find an answer, another silver shape appeared. This one didn't flash by as fast as lightening, but floated there, hanging in water, small fins propelling it against the current so it wasn't washed away. Unblinking eyes stared ahead, searching for something, presumably food, and apart from the fins, it's small, scaly body was completely still.

 _A fish!_ Coal hadn't actually eaten one, she hadn't even seen one, but her Mother had told her and Dusk about the strange edible creatures in the water, which somehow preferred to be wet and slimy rather than dry and warm. She had given a description about them, and looking at them now, she realized it was a very accurate one.

At her realization, Coal flicked her tail, not realizing it dipped into the water, scaring off the small fish. She blinked in surprise at how quickly it had disappeared after how still it had been, and how easily it was scared. _Imagine trying to catch one of those to eat! You'd have to be swimming after it to get anywhere near catching it!_ Coal let out a small laugh, imaging how stupid a cat would look purposefully going into water. _It's probably impossible to catch a fish, I don't know why Mother told me about them._

Behind her, the sun had risen a huge amount since she'd woken up, nearly at sun-high. _I think I should go soon._ Coal knew that she had to leave, or else there'd be hardly any time left to search, but the rock was so warm! Coal rolled onto her back, not caring how close to the edge she was, stretching her paws above her head and letting out a huge yawn. She winced as she moved her swollen paw, but quickly relaxed, still on her back, with her eyes closed. The sun felt nice on her belly, a good change to the hard rock she was lying on. She wriggled around a bit, giving her back some form of massage, her body relaxing even more. She purred contentedly. The River Experience, as she was know calling it, had left her body battered and sore, and this relaxation was what she really needed. _I'm acting like I'm some old cat, not a two moon old kitten!_

Coal slowly turned back onto her belly, then cautiously stood on her paws. Her injured paw wasn't allowing any weight on it, so Coal had to try and balance on three legs without falling back into the water. _I really don't want that to become some daily occurrence! Imagine how horrible that would be!_ Coal limped to the edge of the rock and half slid, half fell down to the rocky beach, landing on her paws for a split second. Before she cold celebrate her success though, Coal lost her balance completely and fell flat on her face. Her nose buried itself in the pebbles, and her body just flopped over, leaving her in a tangled up ball.

She groaned loudly, slowly lifting her head off of the floor, and opened her eyes. She rubbed her nose with her good paw, trying to get rid of the slight sting there, all the while mumbling angrily to herself, " _Stupid_ rock, why did it have to be so high? And _stupid_ river, making it all slippery. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_! Why did this _stupid_ beach have to be made of _stupid_ pebbles? Do they not realize that they _hurt_? So stupid! Ach! My nose! _Stupid_ pebbles, look what you've done to me! You've gone and hurt my _stupid_ nose and now my _stupid_ paw hurts and the _stupid_ sun is high enough as it is, why the _stupid Hell_ are you wasting my time?" she was running out of air from ranting to herself, and she took a deep breath, planning to carry on naming all of the stupid things around her.

But she stopped before she could carry on. _What am I doing? Out of everything here I'm probably the most stupid, I'm talking to myself!_ Coal shook her head. Why had she started doing that? _I was probably just angry,_ she decided. Dusk usually started rambling on about how she hated everything she could think of whenever she was angry, Catnip always explaining to Coal that it was her way of letting out her anger without hurting someone. So maybe this was her way, blaming her actions on other things.

Coal knew that it was her fault that she had fallen over, she hadn't really thought about what she was doing and just hopped right off of the edge of the rock, thinking everything was fine. _Thought I would have learnt my lesson in Starclan, but oh no! I just can't help myself! I just have to jump off of every dangerous rock there is!_ Coal suddenly realized that anger was coursing through her body, taking over her thoughts. She growled at nothing in particular, her anger rising slowly but steadily, her eyes narrowed, glaring at the beach.

 _Why am I so angry?_ Coal stopped growling, her body stiffened, and she lay there, her eyes widened in confusion. _Why_ am _I so angry?_ She asked herself again. She hadn't even noticed her anger rising as she lay in the sun resting. Now that she thought about it, she had woken slightly annoyed, lashing out at the moss, ripping it off of the roots, and watching it with narrowed eyes as it rolled away from the force of her paw as she bashed it aside. "Why am I angry?" _s_ he asked again, but no one answered her. The feeling was receding, replaced with confusion and a slight fear.

Her brow furrowed as she tried to conjure up some excuse for her anger. She knew that she would start to feel better if she could blame this almost foreign feeling on something, rather than let it go and have it unanswered, floating around the back of her mind for the rest of her life. It always helped her when she was confused with something, but didn't know the answer, she just made one up, an answer which satisfied her enough before she went and asked her Mother about it. _But Mother isn't here. I'll just have to wait until she is here, then ask her about my anger._

Coal let her thoughts wonder as she tried to come up with her excuse. _Maybe it's because I can't find my Family and I feel as if it's my fault that I can't find them. Maybe I'm just mad that the Voice hadn't warned me about the river and is now ignoring me. Maybe it's because I slept cold and wet again. Maybe I just want someone to talk to and I don't want to be alone any more. Maybe it's all of this, and I just can't control it, everything is just happening and I can't do anything to stop it._

It seemed that this was helping her more than she had thought. Her muscles relaxed, and she sighed, her shoulders drooping a fraction. Her thoughts stopped racing, she hadn't realized that they were, and she felt calm, almost sleepy. She shook her head. She felt strangely refreshed, and there was no trace of her anger anywhere. Not only had she let out her anger without hurting someone like Dusk did, but she had also somehow managed to push the remainder of it away, not storing it inside of her, waiting for it to build up then explode, she had let it go, pushing it away and out of her, letting it drift away like the catkins on the river.

Thinking of ways to help with her confusion had never helped Coal as much as it did just then. _Maybe it's because I actually found the answer to why I'm angry. Or it could be just that I've never done this before to help me with my anger, only to think of answers to questions so I didn't look stupid in front of Dusk._ Their relationship was weird. Even though she loved Dusk with all of her heart, they always competed against each other, trying to be better than the other, as if they were rivals. They didn't fight, they just wanted to be the best kitten out of the two of them. _And that's why I don't like looking stupid! She'd be in the lead for Best Kitten!_

Coal sighed, slowly getting up onto her paws, making sure her injured paw was tucked up against her chest so that she wouldn't hurt it any more. She instantly straightened her tail for balance as she felt herself lean too far to the left, not wanting to bash her nose on the pebbles again. _Well, now that that's dealt with, I think I should focus on the next problem._ Heading to the treeline, a thought struck Coal. _It would be easier to follow the setting sun if I travel on the banks of the river, there would be no trees blocking my view, and I'd be less likely to trip over something._

Suddenly changing her direction to follow the river, Coal almost fell over again, barely catching herself before she hit the floor. _It would be easier to walk on the grass._ She realized. One of the main reasons that she kept on falling was because the stones continuously shifted beneath her paws as she limped forward, making it harder to keep a good grip as she walked. Coal changed her direction again, heading to the grass instead. There was a few tail-lengths of grass before the trees started, and it was clear form any obstacles apart from the occasional root creeping out of the forest. Coal sighed in relief as the ground beneath her became solid and steady, and she found it easier to keep her balance. _Just like I thought it would!_ She congratulated herself silently for her smart thinking, nodding happily. _This is why I should be ahead of Dusk, she can't use that head of hers!_

Now that Coal wasn't tripping up as much as before, she continued her journey, following the setting sun in search for her Family. She focussed on keeping her paw off of the ground, dodging around the few roots that she came across. No matter how relaxed she had become, her whole body still ached from the previous day, her muscles stiff and tired. Even though she was just walking, she felt her energy quickly depleting. She started to struggle at just keeping her paw safe, lowering with each step that she took. Her breathing became laboured, as if she had just run around the whole world, and before she knew it, her place slowed until she was going about as fast as a snail.

 _Well, aren't I just full of luck! I can't even walk without getting tired!_ She had reached the wider part of the river, her rock becoming harder and harder to see amongst the cluster of rocks surrounding it. The foaming river crashed against them, creating small explosions that Coal could see even from this distance. It shocked Coal greatly at the vast difference between the river beside her and the one she had left behind. _It's hard to believe that they're the same river!_

Coal flopped down on the grass, narrowly missing a small stone that she hadn't noticed, and closed her eyes. The sun had hardly moved since she had set off, which Coal supposed was a good thing, it meant she had more time for searching. But it also meant that it hardly took anything to tire her out, and Coal needed all the energy she had to search. If she has to rest every few seconds then she would be wasting too much of her precious time. _I need as much time as I can get if I want to be with my Family by today._

Thankfully it didn't take too long for most of Coal's energy to return, and she immediately set off once her breathing was normal. She was determined to find her Family before it became dark. Coal hated sleeping on her own. Even though she hadn't really thought about it, she missed resting her head wrapped up in her Mother's tail, tangled up with Dusk. No matter how strange she and Dusk must look, a ball of fur and legs, twisting their bodies in weird ways so that they were both close to each other as well their Mother, it was the most comfortable thing that Coal knew. They were so close that on more than one occasion, their Mother joked that Coal was Dusk's shadow, literally, her black fur and her closeness with Dusk would make anyone think that she was a shadow.

Coal hated opening her eyes, expecting to see her Family curled up around her, only to find that roots were curling around her instead. Not only was it uncomfortable and cold, but the warm feeling her Family always gave her in her heart was never there, leaving behind an empty space, a gaping hole. Coal was not used to the feeling, especially now that she was on her own. The Voice was there to talk to at some times during her journey, but it was nothing like having a real cat to talk to. The Star-cats were no different, they were in Coal's head too, a dream that Coal had conjured up to try and rid how alone she felt, to try and cheer her up.

The shadows from the trees stayed away from her, keeping to themselves under the protection of the branches. The river passed her calmly, it's depths hidden in the darkness of the water, the surface clear and smooth, reflections showing in the water, hiding everything under the surface. Her two fears, sandwiching her in between them, giving her no way to go apart from forward. If her Family had been with her, they would be able to protect her from her fears, fighting them off, keeping her safe. But she was on her own. She had put herself in this position, so now she must face the consequences, she must fight her fears by herself. She must stay strong, and carry on, no matter what stood in her way.

She had already told herself that she needed to grow up, and now she had even more reason to. Coal knew that the world was a dangerous place, her Mother had said so plenty of times, and now that she was no longer safe at her home, she had to fend for herself. Even when she was with her Family again, she knew that she couldn't go back to being a careless kitten again, she would put her Family in danger as well as herself. She had to grow up and help her Family with surviving in the wild, they didn't have anyone else to depend on, they could only depend on each other, and the only way that someone could depend on her was if she could survive on her own.

Coal hadn't noticed, but while she had been walking, she had also been crying. She could feel the tears falling down her face, warm and salty, her eyesight blurry. She felt so alone, so sad, that she could feel her chest physically aching from her emotions. She was trying to hold back all of her feelings, knowing that if she wanted to grow up, she couldn't let her feelings take over her, but the tears managed to escape her. She wasn't sobbing or wailing like she knew she would have if she was being protected by her Family, but she couldn't hold back the tears, they fell from her eyes like rain from the clouds, springing up too quick for her to push them away like she had with her anger.

So she allowed it. She allowed the tears to fall, but she didn't stop searching. She didn't let her emotions take full control of her. She couldn't. She didn't stop crying, even when she was resting, her cheeks always remained wet, but she always remained quiet, accepting that she couldn't stop crying, but knowing that she could force away any other actions that her grief could bring her. Her body never shook, her face stayed blank, her mouth clenched shut, no noise escaped her, just the tears showed any sign that she was upset.

Coal continued travelling beside the river, watching the sun as it crawled across the sky, slowly beginning to set. No matter how many twists and turns the river made, it always ended up following the trail that Coal needed to follow. Her muscles were screaming at her to stop and just sleep, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to give up until complete darkness took over the sky. Her struggle to keep her emotions in check was tiring her out quickly, and as Coal had continued, she had found herself needing more and more breaks. Now, she wasn't sure how much longer her mind would be able to carry on suppressing her feelings, her body felt weak and a headache had arrived ages before her muscles started hurting so much. Her barrier was crumbling.

The wall that she had built up to trap all of her feelings in was slowly beginning to crumble, the strain too much for it, her feelings too strong. She stumbled forward, trying with all of her might to carry on until the sun had fully set. She could see the sun, barely brushing the horizon, turning the sky back to the deep orange that she had found it in after the River Experience. She still had plenty of time to search for her Family, she could carry on and find them, finally be with them again. But her body had other thoughts.

Coal tried to take another step forward, desperate to not give up just yet, when everything suddenly became too much for her. She felt her barrier finally brake, falling down, allowing all of her emotions to come tumbling out. She collapsed to the floor, curling up on herself slightly, sobs racking her body as she cried her heart out. All that she had done was try to grow up, to help her Family, but she hadn't helped anyone, not even herself. The pain in her chest grew tenfold, and Coal howled in pain as it became too much to bare.

She knew that it wasn't a physical pain, just the pain from being so alone, but Coal felt it worse than any cut or bruise she ever had. Her heart felt as if someone had ripped it out of her chest, and was clawing at it in front of her very eyes. Coal loved her Family so much, and spending this much time away from them was finally taking it's toll on her. _I just want to be with them._ She scrunched her eyes shut, hoping to block out everything that was happening to her. Her body shook from the force of her sobs and the force of her emotions. "Why can't I be with them?" she mewed miserably, her voice weak and shaky, "I don't want to be alone any more. I don't! I don't want to be alone!" she shrieked, raw emotion in each word as she let out her pain to the sky. She just wanted her Family back.

The sky had darkened, and Coal found herself asleep, curled up in the grass, tears staining her cheeks, her mind and body exhausted from everything that had happened that day. Her mind was too tired to let her dream that night, and Coal was left with an uninterrupted night of much needed sleep. The stars twinkled in the clear, night sky, looking down on Coal, feeling her pain. They had all lost someone dear to them, they all knew what the small kitten was going through, so they let her sleep, let her recover. They stood guard over her, watching her as she slept, keeping any danger away from her. They protected the kitten, knowing that there wasn't anyone else who could do that, they protected her from the harsh world.

The stars knew that Coal would find her Family, it was written in their very skies. But, they didn't know when, the kitten could be alone for a very long time before she caught wind of her Family. So they decided that they would help her in the only way that they could, protect her from the Darkness while she slept. It wasn't much, but they knew it helped Coal more then they thought possible, it was one of her fears after all. Coal was as much their kitten as she was Catnip's, and they all felt the burden of keeping her well until she could fend for herself, the burden of a parent.

So they shined and twinkled in the sky, fighting off the Darkness so their Coal could sleep peacefully.

But one star couldn't take seeing Coal like this. He had died before he could properly parent his kits, leaving them behind to face the world on their own. He felt the fatherly urge to do more than just watch, to go down and comfort the defenceless kit. And so he did.

Grey Wing curled around the kit protectively, his star studded pelt scaring off the Darkness that threatened to creep into Coal's mind. He didn't care if any living creature decided to take a closer look at Coal, they couldn't see him unless they believed in Starclan, but they _could_ sense him. Any creature that stepped too close would be overcome with the feeling that if they hurt the small kit, something bad would happen. They could feel the protective shield surrounding her, instantly recognising it as a fatherly protection, and knew that unless they wanted something to attack them, they should stay away. If a cat who believed in him came, they would be too awed to even think about hurting Coal, and if not, they would be likely to listen to what he said.

Coal was so still, her chest barely rising with each breath, Grey Wing wouldn't be surprised if someone thought she was dead. She started shivering, and he licked her head, calming her down. He knew that she would be cold, she was out in the open at night, and he was dead, his body wasn't warm. Even with him wrapping his body around Coal, all that he was doing was creating a shield against other animals, he couldn't keep the cold away from her, no mater how much he wished he could. _Poor thing. I'm glad that she has her 'Voice' keeping an eye on her._ He continued licking Coal's body, not only just to comfort her, he was cleaning away all of the dirt that she had managed to collect on her travels. _She's filthy! How can she manage walking around with such a dirty pelt?_

He stayed beside Coal throughout the entire night, protecting her from the Darkness. He would have to return to Starclan when the sun rose, but by then Coal would be safe enough to be on her own for a while. He watched as the sky turned from black to blue as the sun finally began to rise. As the first rays of sun hit the ground, Grey Wing stood, stepping away from the still sleeping form of Coal. She shifted a bit in her sleep, but settled back down once she was comfortable again. He smiled down at her, his heart warming at how peaceful she looked.

"Good luck, Coal." he whispered, before he turned to look at the sun. It had been a while since he had seen this sun, and he wanted to experience the feeling one more time before he returned to Starclan's hunting grounds. He took a deep breath, sniffing the fresh air. He blinked as he caught a familiar scent on the wind, not too far away from where they were. He chuckled, glancing down at the kitten. "You don't have to search for much longer." And with that, he gracefully leaped into the air, his body slowly fading away as he returned to his home.

 **I really need to get better at this once every fortnight thing, I mean, I'm a week late! Right, my first excuse for this is it's snowing! In March! It hasn't snowed here for about 4 years! At least, not properly. So I can't let this go to waste can I?**

 **Second excuse is that _I_ wrote this, what do you expect? Me to actually be on time for once? Ha! As if!**

 **Well, I hope that this is enough for you, it's ended on a happier note than the last chapter. I know that she broke down in tears near the end, but wouldn't you if you were lost and alone? She's trying her best to be strong to help her Family, but some things just can't be done, and growing up so suddenly definitely isn't a feat that a kitten can do.**

 **Please review and give any helpful criticisms! And don't forget about OC's for Breezeclan! Now I'll see you when I do! Bye!**

 **-zZCoalpawZz**


End file.
